Is it just me, or is it always somewhat reaffirming to find out your favorite celebrities aren’t jerks in real life? You never really know exactly what to expect, do you? On-screen, you see all the charm and charisma, but off-screen, sometimes you hear horror stories.
So it’s with a happy heart that I can report to you that not only is at least one A-lister not a jerk, but he also lives up to all the hype about what a great dude he is. In fact, we had no idea just how much of an awesome guy he is despite an already sterling rep.
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It’s no surprise that Keanu Reeves is a good guy.
I mean, as much as he kicks butt on the big screen, how many times have you seen him play a villain? It just doesn’t happen. The guy oozes niceness — he wouldn’t be all that credible as a bad guy. And there’s a reason for that. He’s ultra nice in real life.
And it has shown with all of his many fan interactions in real life.
He makes time for the fans, says hi to the fans, makes sure they all get into the picture with him, gives up his seat on the subway to strangers who need it more, and so on. The guy is nice, and I think he likes being nice.
But for all that, you still don’t even realize what a super dude he really is.
Because behind the scenes, for years, Keanu has been helping fund children’s hospitals. You just don’t know it because he keeps his famously unique name off it.
It’s true! Mr. Big Time Hollywood doesn’t need credit for everything he does.
As he told Ladies Home Journal back in 2009, “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. I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.”
Keanu does have a personal connection that might explain the form his altruism takes.
His younger sister, Kim, was diagnosed with leukemia back in 1991 and spent almost a decade treating it until it went into remission in 1999. Naturally, Keanu supported her throughout her illness.
He hasn’t been a stranger to tragedy in general, to be honest.
Sadly, he and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, lost their unborn daughter eight months into her pregnancy. They broke up shortly after, and 18 months later, Jen was killed in a car wreck.
So while he has every reason to be sad, Keanu goes on being nice to pretty much everybody.
There’s even a subreddit dedicated to all the nice things Keanu does, called r/KeanuBeingAwesome . And if he’s any example, maybe being a nice person is the best way to stay young!
