Keanu Reeves is one of the big action movie stars. But behind it lies a life of resilience
Keanu Reeves -"cool breeze over the Mountains" in Hawaiian- came into the world on September 2, 1964, in Lebanon. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, was a geologist from Hawaii, and his mother, Patricia Taylor, was a British woman who worked as a costume designer and showgirl at a Beirut casino.
His childhood was not easy at all and perhaps this is why he took refuge in art, in acting. He began his career when he was only nine years old doing theater, being part of the cast of Damn Yankees. At 15 he fulfilled a dream by starring in Romeo and Juliet.
Talking about his early years is remembering his father's lack of love. He was never very present and the relationship was not ideal. When Keanu was three years old, the man decided to leave them. Until then he came and went, spending several days away from home without anyone knowing about him. And when he was there, he did nothing but mistreat them, physically and verbally.
Without giving further explanations, one day Reeves packed his things and left, leaving his entire family adrift. At that time, Keanu's mother had to take care of everything, even with the little time available due to the number of hours she dedicated to work, so that Keanu and his sister Kim did not lack anything.
With the actor already dabbling in acting, at the age of 17, he decided to leave school to dedicate himself fully to his passion. The family had already moved to the United States. His mother got into a relationship with an American who helped them in their beginnings. That's how that teenager who dreamed of being a star traveled to Los Angeles to try his luck. Since the money that came in was not much, he also carried out advertisements to cover his expenses.
Success would not be long in coming. To talk about his work, you don't have to be a fan and thus remember, in addition to Limit Point, Maximum Speed, The Devil's Advocate, The Lake House, and Constantine, among many other titles. And above all of them, the Matrix saga.
Resuming his dramatic life, at the age of 13 he saw his father for the last time. They had a deep talk and for a decade she did not hear from him. He reappeared in the 90s when it was the man who came back to look for him but from another plane. Keanu was already famous when Samuel Nowlin was arrested for dealing cocaine and being part of a drug gang. And he turned to his son, and a well-known movie figure, to help him.
Adolescence was not easy for him either, since his mother's job instability forced them to continually move from one city to another. Even from one country to another. Some even believe that Reeves is from Australia since he lived in Sydney for a long time. This nomadic dynamic brought him problems at school: he was not able to establish himself, to make friends, and once again he had to pack his bags.
This circumstance was nothing compared to the loss of loved ones. The pain has been so great that Keanu has said on several occasions that he no longer needs happiness to be able to live. He learned to do without happiness to continue forward.
The Tragedies with Keanu Reeves
Death presented itself to Reeves on more than one occasion. And he did it very early. The first pain was in 1993, when the actor River Phoenix died, his great friend, his soul brother. Keanu has said that he doesn't make many friends because he attaches great importance to that word, and when someone comes to play that role in his life it's because he really feels it.
He met Phoenix in 1989 while filming the black comedy I'll Love You Until I Kill You. In free moments they talked, they felt identified with their difficult childhoods, of systematic changes, and this gave rise to an empathy that united them strongly. “Up until that point, he had virtually no friends in the industry because he hadn't met anyone he wanted to hang out with in private. It is easier for me to separate my private life from my work life," Reeves had stated at the time. This thought keeps him to this day.
At the time of River's departure, he returned to work, embarking on projects that kept his head busy. In 1998 he met actress Jennifer Syme. It was love at first sight, and that was reflected in the steps they took together. Coexistence was not long in coming, nor was the desire to start a family. And then again the darkness.
On Christmas 1999, Jennifer, who was eight months pregnant, experienced severe abdominal pain that prevented her from standing. Keanu rushed her to a hospital, where she gave birth to her baby girl, whom they named Ava Archer. Little her would barely live a couple of hours and she died. Syme and Reeves not only couldn't take the blow, they couldn't face it together either. Over time they separated, but they continued to hang out, now as friends.
On April 1, 2001, the actress had an accident returning from a party at Marilyn Manson's house. Her truck collided with three cars, and she was killed instantly. She was 28 years old. Keanu was present at the wake and was in charge of carrying the box to the cemetery, where Jennifer's body rests next to her baby's.
In the 1990s, Reeves' decade of professional glory, he also accompanied her sister when Kim was diagnosed with leukemia in 1991. She battled the disease until 2000 when she was finally able to overcome it.
“Mourning changes shape, but it never ends. All you can do is hope that the grief is transformed, and instead of pain and confusion, there is comfort and pleasure there, not just loss. People have the misconception that you can deal with this, but they are wrong. When the people you love are not there, you are alone," Keanu Reeves once said about so much pain.
He is about that man who, being very young and in fiction, understood that in the middle of the storm he had to let go of loved ones. Even understanding what the fateful fate was. Knowing that he would never recover his smile. And verifying that the only possible path would lead him through the thick sand, in solitude.
