Keanu Reeves, in his roles in "Point Break" (1991); "Speed" (1994); "The Matrix" (1999) and "John Wick" (2014), has avoided death, but in real life, he thinks about it all the time. For many of us, death is a topic we want to avoid, but the 59-year-old actor is not the case.
"I'm 59 years old and I think about death all the time," Reeves said in an interview with the BBC.
"This is a good thing," he added, saying we should be grateful for the breaths we exchange and the relationships we have the potential to create.
Reeves is promoting his first novel, The Book of Elsewhere, written in collaboration with British author China Miéville. In this novel, the story of an immortal warrior who is about to die is told.
In the decades of his life, Keanu Reeves has suffered numerous losses of loved ones, so it is more justifiable and normal that the topic of death is present in his mind. He has shown that creativity comes from pain and that life, despite challenges and losses, is worth living.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Reeves has moved many times throughout his life. The actor's mother, Patricia Taylor, was a showgirl, while his father, Samuel Reeves, a scientist. While the sister, Kim, was born after they moved to Australia. Samuel Reeves, after some time left the family.
"The history between me and my father is very difficult," Keanu said in an interview with Details in 1991. Reeves went to 4 different high schools, including the one from which he was expelled, to pursue a career in acting. . In his first role, he appeared in the movie "Youngblood" in 1986.
He then moved to Los Angeles and at the age of 16 signed a contract with Erwin Stoff, manager and nephew of his stepfather. He and Erwin collaborated for 30 years. In 1989, Reeves appeared in the comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, where he nearly died in a motorcycle accident. The accident left him with a large, deep scar on his stomach.
Reeves then met Martha Plimpton, the girlfriend of River Phoenix (Joaquin Phoenix's late brother), who introduced the two actors. They immediately became very good friends, thanks to their love for music and another point of connection for them was the difficult childhood that both boys have gone through. Phoenix was raised in the "Children of God" cult and was sexually abused at the age of 4.
The duo appeared in I Love You to Death (1990) and then in My Own Private Idaho (1991), but unfortunately, Phoenix died of an overdose at the Viper Room club.
Meanwhile, Reeves' sister, Kim, was battling leukemia. Although he was one of the most sought-after actors during that period, Keanu was still by his sister's side to cope with her illness. "When the pain became too great, he sat next to me, held my hand. He supported me all the time, even when he was away," said Kim. Reeves donated millions of dollars to research into a cure for cancer.
While he was very close to his mother and sister, Keanu completely excluded his father, Samuel, from his life. In 1994, his father was arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin, serving 10 years in prison. He served his sentence for 2 years and asked to establish contact with his son, but the desire was not mutual. Samuel passed away in 2018 and Reeves did not attend his funeral.
The year 1999 was one of the biggest successes in his career, as he played the main role in "The Matrix", but it was also a year of great losses. At the time, his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, was 8 months pregnant when she gave birth to their daughter, Ava. Syme and Reeves had been a couple for 1 year and were head over heels in love with each other. Their daughter passed away and this led to the separation of the duo, who remained good friends.
In 2001, Syme suffered an accident and tragically passed away. She was 28 years old. Reeves spoke in an interview with Parade, saying that the pain changes shape but never stops. "People misunderstand it and think they can handle it and say: 'I'm gone, I'm better', but they're wrong."
Today, Reeves is in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend, Alexandra Grant. They appeared for the first time on a red carpet, where they also exchanged kisses.
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