Admire him or despise him (Keanue)?

I love that his list of works is nowhere near pure "A-list" films. He appears to take on roles with a different set of criteria than box-office potential. I've seen some movies I never would have seen otherwise, and discovered directors and writers and actors that I might have missed, simply because he was in them. I love following his work and find much of what he does fascinating. Although there have been a few of his movies I really could have skipped, overall it's a fun adventure to work your way through his credits. He's clearly a unique individual.




Movies are IQ tests. The IMDB boards are each person's opportunity to broadcast their score.

If you read about Keanu's life and personality, you'll find that he's not motivated by the same things your typical A-list actor is. As far as I can tell he's only joined projects that he finds interesting for whatever reason, and doesn't intend to go for 'big' or 'blockbuster' flicks. This includes The Matrix - it was a surprise hit, created by pretty much unknown directors. Nobody expected The Matrix to be legendary. Look at the rest of the cast. Aside from Keanu, it starred two actors who were best known as Curtis the Cowboy from Pee-Wee and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

In short, I don't think Keanu WANTS to be an a-list movie star. If you've read about his life and personality you'll find that he's a pretty private person and something of a loner (and a damned nice guy who gives up a seat on a subway to a random woman, as recorded by some fan on the train). Read some interview transcriptions and you'll find that he's also quite intelligent and thoughtful.

And, read this:

"Man of the moment Keanu Reeves has shown his generosity by giving away £50 million of his earnings from the Matrix sequels. The 38-year-old decided to hand over the money to the unsung heroes of the sci-fi blockbusters - the costume and special effects teams.

Keanu is expected to make a total of £70 million from the films, thanks to a deal which guarantees him a 15 per cent profit-share, so he will still net around £20 million. Asked about his prodigious act of generosity, the actor said he already had enough cash. "Money is the last thing I think about. I could live on what I have already made for the next few centuries," he declared.

And it's not the first time the Beirut-born star has shown his jaw-dropping benevolence. While shooting the films in Australia he amazed the team of stuntmen by giving them each a £6,000 Harley Davidson motorcycle. And the actor, whose sister has leukaemia, has also channelled millions into cancer research.

His gift to the Matrix series' 29 behind-the-scenes whiz-kids will see each of them receiving £1.75 million."

link to that article: http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/200305283652/keanu/reeves/matrix/1/

Now, let me ask you: does this sound like the kind of guy that needs to 'use his influence and pull in the industry' to get a role? Does it sound like the kind of guy who would care? He's already determined that he has enough money to live off of for the rest of his life and beyond, so he gives most of it away! He doesn't need an agent to pull him huge A-list-typical roles because he doesn't need the money, because he's not your typical burn-out star who blows their income on mansions and airplanes and luxury cars. He typically travels by himself by motorcycle or subway, and we've all seen that 'Sad Keanu' meme picture of him sitting on a public park bench eating a sandwich.

I'm a big fan of the dude. From everything I've ever read about him, he's a stand-up-all-around great human being.