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Keanu Reeves looking tough
Keanu Reeves is one of the nicest actors, despite his tough-guy roles | Warner Bros.

Keanu Reeves has been acting for over 30 years, making his debut in Canadian TV series Hangin’ In in 1984. His acting career has been somewhat erratic over the years, with hits like The Matrix and Speed and misses like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and 47 Ronin. Although opinions of Reeves’ work are divided, his reputation for being a nice guy is undisputed.

Many Hollywood stars have ruined their careers with bad behavior, but Reeves isn’t one of them. The actor convincingly portrays a menacing assassin in the John Wick franchise, but he is well-known for being humble and compassionate in real life. The star’s good deeds are well-documented, which is why he’s considered one of the nicest guys in Hollywood.

Keanu Reeves will offer his seat to you on the subway

Reeves is worth $100 million and can afford a fleet of expensive cars to get around New York City, yet he chooses to ride the subway just like us. Taking the subway is a testament in itself to how humble he is. The Canadian actor has also been caught giving up his seat to tired commuters. Very few people, celebrity or otherwise, would do that.

Keanu Reeves has a secret cancer foundation

When Reeves’ younger sister, Kim, was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991, the actor became her primary caretaker. Reeves reportedly spent more than $5 million on treatments during her almost ten-year battle with the disease. “Keanu helped me so much through my illness,” Kim told Woman’s Day in 1999. “When the pain got really bad, he would sit with me and hold my hand, and keep the ‘bad man’ from making me dance. He was supporting me and comforting me all the time, even when he was away.”

Kim has been in remission since 1999, but it had a lasting effect on Reeves. The John Wick star donated 70% of his Matrix gains to cancer research and has since opened a foundation in his sister’s name, refusing to attach his name to its work. The foundation funds children’s hospitals and cancer research. Of the foundation, Reeves told Ladies Home Journal 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.”

Money is ‘the last thing’ Keanu Reeves thinks about

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Reeves has made more money in his acting career than most of us will ever see in our lifetime. But money is the last thing on the actor’s mind. He’s turned away millions of dollars to ensure the cast and crew of his movies were taken care of.

Reeves took an astonishing 90% pay cut for The Replacements so Gene Hackman could be in the film. When starring in The Devil’s Advocate, Reeves agreed to a $2 million pay cut so producers could afford Al Pacino. The stories of Reeves shrinking paychecks don’t end there, and his motivations don’t pertain specifically to bringing other actors on board, either.

Reeves also signed away his back-end deal on the second and third Matrix movies to make sure the makeup and special effects crew could continue working on the franchise for the duration of the trilogy. An unnamed studio executive explained to the Wall Street Journal, “He felt that they were the ones who made the movie and that they should participate.”

Keanu Reeves has the best response to David Geffen rumors

Many stars are subjected to speculation about their sexuality. Most of them either choose to ignore the rumors completely or issue adamant denials when the stories aren’t true. When rumors began to circulate that Reeves was gay, however, he took a different approach.

Reeves dismissed rumors that he and David Geffen had gotten married, saying he was flattered people thought he was in the same league as Geffen. “For a while people were saying that David Geffen and I had gotten married. That just blew me away. Not because they thought I was gay, but that they thought I could land a guy that hot,” he said.