At first glance, he seems to have it all. Keanu Reeves achieved superstardom via iconic roles
in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and in the sci-fi classic The Matrix,
but, like many people irrespective of wealth and status, endured profound hardships along
the way. Long before becoming a heartthrob and an action movie hero, the actor didn’t
sleep in a bed of roses. And the story of his personal life is as heart-wrenching as it can be.
Beginning at the age of 3, Keanu has endured one tragedy after another. Can you believe he
lost his best friend, the love of his life and his little daughter in the span of five years
as his career was going up? You’ll definitely need a tissue box to make it through today's video.
The Speed star was born to showgirl and costume designer Patricia Taylor and geologist Samuel
Reeves. When little Keanu was just three years old, his father walked out on the family. Even
though Sam was in his son’s life until he entered his teenage years, the actor doesn’t
have fond memories of his dad. “I spent my last vacation with him when I was 13 years old,” Keanu
once said in an interview. “On our last day, we sat on the veranda and stared at the dark sky.
He hardly said anything. The next day he brought us to the airport. No calls, no letters, nothing.”
Keanu’s mom, Patricia, was left to take care of the boy and his sister Kim all by herself,
being the only breadwinner in the family. A single mother, Patricia moved around quite a
bit during Reeves’ childhood. First, the family of three moved to Sydney, then to New York and,
eventually, they settled down in Toronto. The Dracula star attended four high schools
by the time he dropped out at 17 years old. Although he wasn’t a great student at school,
Keanu always nurtured a keen interest in acting, playing several roles in the theatre.
Later on, a young man with no savings and big plans, the future A-lister,
was determined to take Hollywood by storm. He was an artist who knew what he wanted,
taking most opportunities life threw at him, not knowing that tragedy was just around the corner.
Bit by bit, the actor became one of the most sought-after and praised men in Hollywood. Women
around the world went into a craze for his good looks and charm. But, according to Keanu, he did
not allow himself to be swallowed up by the cruel vortex of celebrity vices. And as he was getting
more fame and fortune, the tragedy hit. Reeves’ then-best friend River Phoenix sadly passed away.
The actors met on set of the movie I Love You to Death and quickly became best friends. And when
Reeves saw the script for My Own Private Idaho, he knew Phoenix was perfect for the role. Later
that year, Reeves rode more than 1,000 miles on his motorcycle to persuade him to participate.
But, unfortunately, during the filming of My Own Private Idaho, River developed a dangerous
addiction that would later claim his life. He passed away in the arms of his brother,
Joaquin, when he was just 23 years old. 1994 marked a turning point in Keanu
Reeves’ career when he got the lead role in Speed, alongside Sandra Bullock.
The action-packed masterpiece became a worldwide hit. And Hollywood media has
repeatedly claimed that his relationship with Bullock went beyond friendly terms,
but the duo never crossed the line despite the obvious chemistry.
Later on, Sandra revealed that she had a crush on the actor the whole time they were filming.
When Keanu found out, he was smitten, as the actor felt the same way at the time. Ahh,
what a couple would’ve been. In 1999, Keanu’s career skyrocketed
when he got the lead role in the action classic The Matrix. He successfully
mastered an exceptionally physically demanding part that has, according to some estimates,
added more than $30 million to his bank account. Who would’ve thought that at casting, Reeves was
selected over other Hollywood A-listers such as Leonardo di Caprio, Will Smith and Brad Pitt?
But ominous clouds were gathering over Keanu’s life. The first shock came after his sister was
diagnosed with leukaemia in 1992. Although the public was unaware of it at the time, Reeves
donated a lot of money to cancer charities and organizations. He even runs a private charitable
foundation. “It helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research”, Keanu said.
“I don’t like to attach my name to it; I just let the foundation do what it does”, he added.
It was during the period of making The Matrix that he met a woman who would change his life.
Her name was Jennifer Syme, and she worked as David Lynch’s personal assistant.
According to Reeves, the two met at a record label party in LA and “fell instantly in
love”. She was the first girl in a long while to appear publicly as Keanu’s official girlfriend.
It was clear she meant the world to him. A year into their relationship and Syme
was pregnant. The couple didn’t tie the knot, but they started living together,
eagerly awaiting the baby’s arrival. That day came too soon. The baby was
born prematurely in the eighth month, and unfortunately, there was nothing doctors
could do to save the little one. Thus, just five years after the death of his best friend,
the actor lost his daughter. Her devastated parents named her Ava Archer Syme-Reeves.
The relationship between Keanu and his girlfriend started deteriorating as they were unable to
handle the immense grief. Understandably, they drifted away but kept in touch occasionally. But,
unfortunately, the tragic story doesn’t end there. One day, a much-shaken Reeves called the
Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and asked, “if Jen Syme was there.”
Sadly, she was. Coming back from a house party, Jennifer lost control over her vehicle
and crashed into a row of parked cars in Los Angeles. She died instantly. Syme was only 28
years old at the time of her death. Her body was laid to rest next to their late daughter.
Losing a child and the love of his life shortly after that broke Keanu’s heart into tiny pieces.
He was supposed to start filming the sequel of Matrix but, understandably,
had to take some time to grieve. After these tragic events,
the actor’s life has never been the same. “Grief changes shape, but it never ends,” Reeves told
Parade. “People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, ‘It’s gone, and I’m better.’
They’re wrong. When the people you love are gone, you’re alone.” Although he had never been
too open about his private life, these events made him retreat into his privacy even more.
Reeves has cited the deaths of Ava and Syme as the reason he avoided serious relationships
and having children for so many years. Fortunately, tragedy hasn’t made Keanu Reeves
bitter. “Much of my appreciation of life has come through loss. Life is precious. It’s worthwhile.”
Reeves’ life story is unarguably sad, but it is also inspiring. Of course,
any one of these life changing events is enough to make almost anyone bitter,
but the famous actor seems to have only gained more compassion and empathy along the way. “All
you can do is hope that grief will be transformed and, instead of feeling pain and confusion,
you will be together again in memory, that there will be solace and pleasure there, not just loss.”
For a long time, Keanu stayed away from the spotlight. But then came John Wick, another
massive blockbuster franchise, and all eyes were on our eternal Hollywood charmer once again.
Although Reeves doesn’t like to talk about his painful past,
he does tend to portray characters who have endured similar hardships in life.
For example, in John Wick, Reeves’ character is an assassin motivated by the loss of his wife
and dog. The bereavement and grief of the retired assassin character struck a chord with Keanu.
“For me, it was John’s grief that made it personal,” says Reeves. “It was strong
enough to make him want to unearth his past. So, I thought of it not as revenge but as reclaiming.”
One of the ways Keanu fought grief and loss was writing. In 2009, he teamed up
with Alexandra Grant, a visual artist, and the two of them created a publishing house called X
Artists’ Books. Their partnership also resulted in Reeves’s poem picture book, Ode to Happiness,
containing poems by the actor and illustrations by Alexandra Grant. It was the start of a beautiful
friendship between the two. Not only that, but with time, it blossomed into something more.
The couple kept their relationship away from the spotlight until they finally appeared together,
holding hands at the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) art and film gala in 2020.
It seems that Keanu had finally come out of his shell and felt confident to love again.
Fans around the world rejoiced and fell for Keanu even more because he was one of the very few
Hollywood stars to have a partner who doesn’t conform to the industry’s beauty standards.
But then again, who would expect anything less from this man?
Reeves took the most painful parts of his life and found inspiration in them. He never stopped
grieving or forgot about the loss, but he found a way to channel it into his art.
This painful sincerity might be why his work continues to touch
people’s hearts all over the world. He continues to contribute to the
film industry through amazing roles and a tireless passion for acting. Most importantly,
Keanu has never stopped being kind to others, and it is great to see him receive love in return.
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