Keanu Reeves is one of those actors that you just can’t hate; the internet loves him, and who can blame them? He has starred in top-notch movies and brought to life iconic characters like Neo from The Matrix or John Wick from, well, John Wick.
Keanu’s stardom has been in the making since the early 80s, but recently his internet popularity grew thanks to him appearing in one of the most controversial games of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077. In that game, Keanu plays the role of Johnny Silverhand, an ex-US military veteran who ends up inside V’s brain and works as the game’s co-protagonist. While Johnny’s story is something you are going to discover while playing Cyberpunk, here are some things you should know about the actor.
10 Keanu Was In A Band That Toured With Bon Jovi
In the 90s, while his acting career was on the rising, Keanu thought it was the perfect time to form an alt-rock band with his friend, Robert Mailhouse. The band was called Dogstar and had Keanu as the bassist and backing vocalist, Robert as the drummer/percussionist, Gregg Miller in the guitar and vocals, and Bret Domrose as an additional guitarist and vocalist.
During the almost 12 years, Dogstar was active. They achieved some awesome things like touring with Bon Jovi in Australia and New Zealand, opening for David Bowie at the Hollywood Palladium, and appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Eventually, Keanu left the band to focus on his acting career.
9 One Of His Earliest Jobs Was In A Coca-Cola Commercial
Not every actor has the opportunity to land a massive role on their first try — most of them have to start somewhere — and for an aspiring actor, one of the easiest ways to get on a screen is to do a commercial.
That’s how Keanu ended up starring in a 1983 Coca-Cola commercial. Reeves recalls the opportunity as a great learning experience and shared that he even shaved his legs for the part since he was playing a cyclist. That’s some method-acting right there.
8 He’s A Motorcycle Enthusiast
Reeves loves motorcycles; he even has his own collection of bikes and many scars that prove just how much he likes riding them.
Keanu is also the co-founder of Arch Motorcycle, this company specializes in custom sportbikes, and CD Projekt used one of the company’s models (the Arch Method 143) to capture audio for Cyberpunk 2077. Not only that, but similar models to the ones Arch Motorcycle has are included in the game.
7 He Was Best Friends With Joaquin Phoenix’s Brother
Joaquin Phoenix’s Brother, River Phoenix, was one of the most gifted actors of his time until he died of a drug overdose in 1993. But before that happened, Keanu and River shared a close relationship, even starring in movies together.
The two actors met on the set of I Love You to Death and were inseparable after that. Still, the pair’s most notable film together is My Own Private Idaho. The story behind that film is that the director sent the script to Keanu, who ended up so amazed by it that he drove more than 1000 miles on his motorcycle to show the script to River.
6 Keanu Reeves Exists In Cyberpunk 2077’s Universe
While Keanu lent his voice and face to Johnny Silverhand, Keanu Reeves as an actor also exists in Night City.
The Run the Jewels song “No Save Point” was created just for Cyberpunk 2077 and the lyrics mention Keanu Reeves. This little easter egg must be in tune with the game’s lore, right?. Well, it is! Patrick Mills (CD Projekt Red Senior Quest Designer) confirmed that. In Cyberpunk, Keanu was a Collapse-era actor who looked a lot like Silverhand, so people often mistook Keanu for Johnny.
5 Alice Cooper Used To Babysit Him
Alice Cooper is known for many things. He is a singer, a songwriter, and an actor, but a baby sitter? Not so much. Well, it turns out that at some point, Cooper babysat Keanu. However, the actor was just a little kid at the time, so he only knows it happened because someone told him.
This occurred because Keanu’s mom was working in the industry as a costume designer when they were in Toronto, so she was friends with Cooper.
4 His Name Means “Cool Breeze Over The Mountains”
Reeves comes from a multicultural background. Not only has he lived in different countries such as Lebanon, Australia, America, and Canada, but he is of Chinese, English, Irish, Native Hawaiian, and Portuguese descent.
In fact, it is thanks to his Hawaiian roots that he gets his name. In Hawaiian, Keanu means “cool breeze over the mountains.”
3 He Might Be Married To Winona Ryder
When you think about Winona’s romantic history, the first person that comes to mind is Johnny Depp. However, it turns out that Keanu Reeves might be the one who got to marry her.
While filming Dracula, Keanu and Winona had to shoot a scene where their characters got married. The movie’s director used a real priest, and both of the actors said their vows, so there is a chance they’re married for real.
2 June 15 is “Cheer Up Keanu Reeves Day”
Some time ago, a picture of Keanu went viral, thus creating the meme “Sad Keanu.” In the picture, the actor is seen sitting alone on a bench eating a sandwich while looking, well, kinda sad.
The meme became so popular that people decided to make June 15 the “Cheer Up Keanu Reeves Day,” during that day, people planned on sending letters, emails, gifts, and any other nice things to Keanu.
1 He Almost Had Another Name
It is not unheard of for celebrities to change their name before becoming hugely successful stars. For example, Bruno Mars’s real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, while Kit Harington was born Christopher Catesby Harington.
When it was Keanu’s time to change his, he decided to opt for Chuck Spadina or Templeton Page Taylor. His agents didn’t like any of those options, so they led Reeves to keep his real name.
NEXT: 10 Plot Holes In Cyberpunk 2077 That Were Never Explained
