Keanu Reeves, centuries-old immortal? Possibly. Nicest man in Hollywood? Definitely. Yes, another day, another story of Reeves’ incredible kindness. This time, the action movie star paid to have the Matrix 4 crew flown out to San Francisco for the science fiction movie’s premiere.
The Hollywood Reporter learned of Reeves’s generosity through his former stunt double and John Wick director Chad Stahelski. “He flew a bunch of us up here,” Stahelski reportedly told the crowd at the premiere. “He’s incredibly generous. In the audience tonight will be so many people that helped him, from his martial art trainers to jiu-jitsu trainers to hair and makeup to his stunt crew. He makes sure that his friends and family are here. He’s epic.”
THR reports that Reeves invited agents, managers, publicists, as well as his inner circle and those who helped him train for The Matrix 4. Reeves is reported to have paid for his guest’s hotel, private jet travel, sorted tickets to the premiere, and gifts for those he invited. When asked about his generosity, Reeves simply replied: “Yeah, it’s great to be able to share our experiences and lives together.”
Reeves is modest about his charity work, rarely advertising his generosity. He has reportedly quietly founded a cancer foundation in honour of his sister after she was diagnosed with leukaemia. He also auctioned off a date with himself for Idaho Children’s Cancer Charity.
There were also rumours (although no concrete source for them) that he gave up a significant portion of his Matrix salary to the film’s crew. A bit of digging shows these rumours are slightly exaggerated. Reeves did take a smaller back end deal and gave his profit-sharing options to The Matrix’s special effects and costume teams.
Still, Reeves is known for his generosity. He reportedly gave the John Wick 4 stunt team some pretty expensive Rolexes, which was described as the “greatest wrap present ever.”