Keanu Reeves Donated 70% of Movie Earnings to Charity
[Jan 3, 2022: Joshua Shavit, The Brighter Side of News]
Keanu Reeves donated 70% of his salary from the first Matrix movie in 1999 - a whopping $44 million - to help find a cure for leukaemia. (CREDIT: Getty Images)
Sure, we've all seen the photos of Reeves catching the subway and giving up his seat for other riders.
You've also probably heard the rumors about how he took a salary cut on The Matrix so that his coworkers would get better pay conditions.
Maybe you've even been privvy to the images of the actor helping carry production gear on the set of John Wick.
All in all, it's no surprise to hear that Keanu Reeves is yet again wholesome human, and has long been hailed 'the internet's boyfriend'.
This time his grand gesture involves $44 million.
According to LAD Bible, the 57-year-old gem donated 70% of his salary from the first Matrix movie in 1999 - a whopping $44 million - to help find a cure for leukaemia.
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Turns out the cause has always been close to the Hollywood A-lister's heart, after his younger sister, Kim, battled leukaemia for 10 years.
It was just during the success of The Matrix that Reeves decided he needed to be closer to his ill sister, and put his acting career on pause.
Filming for The Matrix sequels was delayed, and Keanu became Kim's carer.
Even after his sister Kim’s cancer went into remissions and she got better, Keanu still kept up the donations for the research and eventually started his own cancer fund.
“I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research,” Keanu told Ladies Home Journal. “I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.”
Yes - he did all this under the radar, with no need to make a big deal of it. Because that’s how Keanu rolls.
Is it finally time to bestow a sainthood on Keanu Reeves? We think so!
For years the star has been coined Hollywood's nicest guy and incredibly giving, and when asked by a fan on Red Table Talk how he gives back to himself, Keanu answered honestly.
“Let’s go for motorcycle ride, let’s read. I love going to the movies. For me, my work is that as well," he said.
Five fast facts about Keanu Reeves
He was born in Beirut, Lebanon to an English mother and Hawaiian father.
His name means “cool breeze over the mountains”.
He lived in Sydney for a short time after his parents divorced and his mother moved the family to Australia.
He has played bass guitar in a band called Dogstar .
As a teenager he had aspirations to become a professional ice hockey player for the Canadian Olympic team but thankfully he decided to become an actor instead.
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Tags: #Good_News, #Donation, #Kindness, #Cancer, #Rememberance, #Philanthropy, #Celebrity_News, #The_Brighter_Side_of_News
