In June 2019, Forbes wrote about Keanu Reeves’ “immortal reign at the box office”. The
business magazine remarked that in his 32 years of acting, the actor’s name in the
credits helped his movies amass almost $4.5 billion in ticket sales.
That Forbes article, though fairly recent, came out before the release of Toy Story 4,
where Keanu Reeves voiced the daredevil Canadian stuntman toy, Duke Caboom. The animated film
grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Another point in Keanu’s resume.
Out of all this, Keanu Reeves came out with a $360 million net worth. Add to this the
upcoming sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; the fourth installment in the John
Wick saga; and the fourth Matrix movie. In short, within the next couple of years, Keanu
will stuff his pockets with even more cash. Impressive, right? What’s even more impressive
is that Keanu isn’t just another rich and privileged actor.
Way back in 2006, Reeves said in an interview: “Money doesn’t mean anything to me. I’ve
made a lot of money, but I want to enjoy life and not stress myself building my bank account.”
Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and let’s find out more about why Keanu Reeves remains
indifferent to his wealth, and how the nicest man in Hollywood manages his finances. We’ll
also clear some misconceptions about his charitable actions, and throw in a crazy paternity lawsuit
story, so make sure to watch till the end! And we’ll start with a fun fact slash proof
of Keanu’s immortality. Rarely does the actor offer any insights into his private
life, including his thoughts about money. But when he does, it’s worth it! For instance,
as Hello magazine reports, Reeves let the following bit of information slip: “Money
is the last thing I think about. I could live on what I have already made for the next few
centuries." The next few centuries, huh, Mr Reeves?
The actor makes sure to pursue interesting and unusual projects, and not look at the
paycheck. "I guess I don't connect the enjoyment and
the money," Keanu said to the New York Post. "I work on a part and hopefully realize a
part, and make good films. Some of the successes I've had I'm grateful for, because it creates
other opportunities." To Keanu, money is a by-product of his job,
which is to entertain. For a very long time, almost 18 years after
starting his career, Reeves didn’t even own a home. He described his lifestyle as
leading a simple life, mostly out of a suitcase in hotels. As we know, this isn’t because
he lacked the means. His favourite place to stay was a hotel in Los Angeles that is famous
for serving as a long- and short-term residence for celebrities.
Keanu’s first home cost him close to $5 million. Since he purchased it in 2003, the
property’s market value has grown and is currently estimated at over $8 million.
"It's very rectangular with a lot of straight lines, but there's also a lot of limestone
tile. I used stone, glass, steel and wood," a proud Keanu told The Daily Mail. Cozy!
Oh, and one of the best changes wealth brought into his life was the opportunity to buy his
Mom a house. Rumour has it that Keanu Reeves may have acquired
homes in Hawaii and Malibu beach. But those are just rumours, and we’ll leave it at
that. And speaking about rumours. A popular misconception
about Keanu Reeves is the urban legend that he donated the money he earned for the first
Matrix movie to give bonuses to the special effects and design crew. The Wall Street Journal
stepped in and clarified that the actor did cut money out of his contract, but directed
a portion of it towards funding the special effects, production and design departments
to make The Matrix the undeniable cult classic. But he didn’t forget about the people who
worked with him closely. He gifted brand new Harley Davidson motorcycles to the entire
stunt crew of 12. "We were all in this thing, and we were training
together beforehand," Reeves told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "I just wanted […] to
give a bigger thank-you to all these guys who helped me make [...] one of the great
movie fights in the history of cinema.” The gift choice makes even more sense when
we learn that the 55-year-old actor is an avid motorcyclist. He has his own Arch Motorcycle
Company that builds custom motorcycles. In case you’d like to own one of those, be
ready to shell out at least $78,000. Too pricey for you? Don’t worry, Keanu’s
beginnings were more than humble, but look at where he is now.
As a teenager, he used to sharpen ice skates at a local arena in Toronto, and had another
part-time job at a grocery store. His first more or less serious on-screen appearance
was in 1986 sports drama, Youngblood. Although Keanu got to show off his hockey-playing skills
as a goalie, his first paycheck was for just $3,000.
Three years on, his salary ballooned from three grand to $95,000 for his role in Bill
& Ted's Excellent Adventure. And since earning $1.2 million for 1994's Speed, Reeves’ fame
and fortune grew exponentially. The star actor earned $2 million for Johnny
Mnemonic, and $8 million for The Devil's Advocate. It is impossible to talk about Keanu Reeves
and not mention the original Matrix trilogy. Oh, and did you know that Keanu was not the
first choice to play Neo? Will Smith was! The Men In Black actor, however, turned the
offer down because he found the pitch weird. But what’s even more weird is that Smith
went on to star in one of the biggest flops in his career, Wild Wild West, instead.
So Keanu Reeves became The One within the Matrix universe, and the trilogy of sci-fi
action films grossed $1.6 billion at the box office. Keanu walked away with over $250 million
in salary and bonuses. Another trilogy that is about to turn into
a quadrilogy is the John Wick series. Sometime in 2021, Reeves is to return as a retired-but-not-quite
hitman. So far, the three action-packed movies have generated over $500 million at the box
office. When Keanu told the Chicago Tribune money
is the last thing he thinks about, he had a few stories to prove his statement.
Devil’s Advocate was able to afford hiring Al Pacino partially thanks to Reeves, who
deferred $2 million of his salary for that purpose. He pulled the same move while filming
the sports comedy The Replacements, so they could attract the legendary Gene Hackman to
the project. Keanu won’t put a price tag on the opportunity to share a set with Hollywood’s
finest. This is what he told the New York Post: "I got to have some really great acting
experiences this past year, like working with Mr. Hackman."
Despite starring in two sequels for The Matrix, and several sequels to John Wick, the one
franchise Keanu turned down was the continuation of Speed. The first movie had a total gross
revenue of $350.5 million and won two Oscars. Following the movie’s success, the studio
approached Keanu with an offer of unprecedented $11 million for part 2. After reading the
script and, according to his manager, hating it, Keanu politely declined the offer. And
he was right to do so: Speed 2, an action flick about a hijacked commercial cruise,
was, to put it mildly, a disappointment. So what does Keanu Reeves do with all his
money if he’s not that excited about it? Well, he is a philanthropist who readily uses
his wealth and status to help others. But it is worth mentioning that, as a charitable
donor, Keanu avoids the spotlight whenever he can.
One of Keanu’s sisters is a cancer survivor: she was diagnosed with a type of leukemia
in the '90s. As she fought the disease, Keanu was her primary caretaker. He witnessed firsthand
that beating cancer and cancer research are extremely expensive endeavours. So he set
up a private foundation that does research and supports children's hospitals. Like we
have mentioned, the actor doesn’t go around parading his contribution.
"I don't like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does," he says
simply. Remember that we said Keanu used to play hockey?
In high school, he even earned the nickname "The Wall" as the impenetrable goalie. He
probably is well aware of the dangerous injuries the players sustain during the harsh game.
That is why he participated in a fundraiser for SCORE, Spinal Cord Opportunities for Rehabilitation
Endowment. This charity was founded after a UCLA hockey player's spinal cord was injured
during a game. Reeves, as we’ve learned, is a generous,
caring soul. But what he doesn’t care for is untrue claims. Keanu must have had dozens
of weird encounters with fans, but the 2010 paternity suit filed against him takes the
cake. A Canadian woman named Karen claimed that Reeves fathered her four children. She
sought $3 million a month in spousal support and $150,000 a month in retroactive child
support (since the kids were already adults by then, with the youngest being 21). Karen
maintained she had an affair with Reeves throughout the years and during her marriage, that they
lived together and that he was present at the birth of some of her kids.
Keanu agreed to take a DNA test - which, of course, proved that he wasn’t the father.
The judge dismissed the case and commented that any trial would be "a waste of limited
judicial resources." Otherwise, it is easy to find yourself in
Keanu Reeves' good graces. Mind you, we're not saying that you should actively seek to
become his friend. But if you happened to share a scary experience with him nearby,
be sure that Reeves would make you feel comfortable and tell some trivia facts about the city
you'd end up in. Just recently, Keanu made headlines when he ended up in a plane that
had to make an emergency landing in Bakersfield, California. Unfortunately, the local airport
was closed at the time, which presented new challenges for the passengers and crew.
Instead of jumping into a limo and speeding off on his own, Reeves
talked to airline representatives and discussed the most efficient way to get to the Burbank
airport with fellow passengers. Eventually, they decided to hit the road in vans instead
of waiting for another plan. Reeves climbed into the van with the others
and even read out some fun facts about Bakersfield as they drove.
Thank you, Keanu Reeves, for teaching us that our most valuable resource isn’t money;
it’s kindness and the time we are willing to dedicate to the human beings around us.