Keanu Reeves is reportedly "somewhat embarrassed" about how much money he has, a longtime family friend recently told the Post.
According to some estimates, the star may have about $315 million.
Therefore, after a series of tragedies, he made it his mission to spread wealth.
Actor Keanu Reeves attended the Canadian premiere of The Matrix on December 16, 2021 at the Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The actor is reportedly a philanthropist. (Sam Santos/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)
The family friend said: "Keanu pays a lot of money and does a lot more for people than most people know. "He knows how lucky he is. Unlike many Hollywood superstars, he never took it for granted. ”
Despite reports last December that Reeves donated 70 percent of his salary from the first "Matrix" movie to cancer research, he remains one of Hollywood's most generous stars — giving extravagant gifts to colleagues, his family and charities.
"Keanu is notorious for his generosity," said a Hollywood producer, citing a story in which the actor slipped a $20,000 bonus to the set maker of The Matrix after learning that the crew members were having financial problems.
Reeves also "reloaded" in his recent "John Wick 4" in Paris and Berlin, Reeves, with a personal inscription attached.
"Believe me, the stuntmen are all eager to work with Keanu," the Hollywood producer said. "Not just for gifts. This is because he takes them very seriously and believes that they help contribute to his success. Stuntmen, martial arts trainers – these people rarely do that. ”
"The reason Keanu has starred in 60 films," says one casting director he has worked with, "in addition to the audience, the director loves him, the co-stars love him, and the crew loves him." He is always ready and he is always on time. Thoughtful, communicative, loving – no one knows his name or hasn't spoken to him. ”
But insiders say part of the desire he shares comes from losing too much in his own life.
Reeves was reportedly devastated in 1993 when his best friend and co-star of "My Own Idaho Soldier, River Phoenix," died of a drug overdose.
In 1999, his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Sam, an assistant to director David Lynch, gave birth to their daughter a month early — but the baby, Ava, was stillborn. The grief is too great for the couple's relationship. They broke up shortly after and then reunited in 2001.
Sam, 28, was reportedly battling depression the night she drove her jeep into a parked car in Los Angeles on April 1, 2001. She died instantly, and an investigation found she was drunk at the time of the accident.
"If Ava's death wasn't devastating enough, he would think Jennifer was his soul mate," one colleague said of the actor. "After that, he had a very dark time."
The tragedy of his life inspired Reeves to accept the role of the titularly sad assassin in the "John Wick" film series.
The casting director said: "He really liked that character because of the loss — his father as a child, River, his children, a woman who had spent a few years with him, lost his passion. ”
When Reeves, who mostly grew up in Toronto, was a toddler, samuel, the actor's father, abandoned the family. Samuel died in 2018 and was sentenced to two years in prison for drug possession; Reeves was reportedly at odds with his father while he was still alive.
Canadian actor Keanu Reeves will arrive at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, California, on December 18, 2021 for the premiere of The Matrix. Reeves was known for his generosity. (David Odyssey/AFP via Getty Pictures)
"My story with my dad is heavy," he once told Rolling Stone magazine. "It is full of pain and sorrow,"
"Keanu will always resent his late father," the family friend said. "His young years were tough. He's been in the shadow of [his father's] drug addiction — and he's been worried about that. But this may be the reason why he started acting, and it can be said that it ignited the fuse that ignited him. It helped him from thinking too much, which was his tendency. ”
Reeves was very close to his mother, costume designer Patricia Taylor— who bought her a house in Los Angeles before buying it for himself — and his two sisters.
"Keanu and his two sisters — Kim and Karina — are very close," the family friend said. (He reportedly had no relationship with his father's half-sister, Emma.) ）
King was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991, which reportedly inspired Reeves to donate millions of dollars to cancer charities — including a "date" with himself at the Rainbow Gold Camp auction for childhood cancer organization in 2020. (Winning bid: $16,000.) ）
"My brother is my prince," King, who went into remission around 2010, told People magazine.
Insiders say decades of heartache have led Reeves to refuse to settle down.
"He was a true nomadic man," said a Malmont estate source in Reeves. "He didn't buy a house until he was 40. He stayed in hotels – mostly The Chateau. He often wandered around the hotel grounds, a bit like a ghost. ”
In 2017, Reeves told Esquire: "It's too late. I'm 52 years old. I'm not going to have kids. ”
Friends say the actor, who dated "Mallrats" star Claire Forlani and photographer Amanda de Cadenet, found solace in a low-key relationship with 48-year-old artist Alexandra Grant.
"This is the first time that the relationship has really calmed him down," said a source who knew both of them. "Not only that. Keanu's mother loved Alexandra. Big fans. This makes Keanu bigger. ”
Keanu Reeves attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood and the Highlands on February 9, 2020. Reeves is said to have been very generous with his money. (Jeff Kravitz/Movie Magic)
Grant reportedly met Reeves at a 2009 birthday party for their mutual friend, film editor Janey Bergam. Reeves and Grant first became friends, and then became business partners after she illustrated some of his poems, launching X Artists Books and publishing it as Ode to Happiness. They started dating around 2017.
"Keanu is relieved by the fact that Alexandra is not jealous of his movie star," said a mutual friend, adding that Grant's paintings and sculptures have not been exhibited in the United States or Europe. "She clearly has her own life, her own successful artistic career. She is elegant and dignified – completely superb. ”
While Reeves told friends that after years of uneasiness, he became more comfortable with his overall reputation, he and Grant kept a close eye on their private time.
"If someone [talks openly about the couple's records], they will find themselves being warned or relieved from life," said mutual friends. "They came to an agreement. They read about some friends who rioted because they talked openly about their relationship. While things are going well, they both believe that any form of publicity will hurt their relationship. This is a superstition that they all believe in. ”
Edit: Chihiro Takashi ins