Line #49 Creator/KeanuReeves


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3	%% Per Administrivia/CreatorPageGuidelines, only tropes associated to a creator's works are allowed on this wiki's pages, and tropes that only apply to the creator's personal life as if the creator is a fictional character are not allowed. Please do not apply tropes about the creator's personal life as if they are a fictional character.
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6	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keanu.png]]
7	%% Image caption removed per discussion in the Caption Discussion thread (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1404492079030138900&page=196#comment-4879)
8
9	->''"I'm sorry my existence is not very noble or sublime."''
10
11	Keanu Charles Reeves (born September 2, 1964) is a Lebanese-born Canadian actor [[InsanelyInternationalAncestry of English, Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Irish descent]], best known for mixing [[DullSurprise a subdued speaking style]] with [[BewareTheQuietOnes powerful and precise physical acting]]. After all, [[Franchise/TheMatrix he knows]] [[Series/SaturdayNightLive Kung Fu]].
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13	Reeves made his feature film debut in 1986's ''Film/{{Youngblood\|1986}}''; his [[StarMakingRole breakthrough role]], coming three years later, would be as Ted in ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'', which he reprised for [[Franchise/BillAndTed future films]]. His career has been marked by work in numerous genres alongside several periods of critical and commercial ups and downs, but his undisputed heights of stardom so far have been as Neo in ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' series (beginning in 1999) and as John Wick in [[Franchise/JohnWick the namesake series]] (beginning in 2014), both of which made great use of his ability to play [[TheStoic stoic]], badass action heroes.
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15	Previously believed to be dumb (most likely due to his recognition as Ted, who alongside Bill is famously stupid, and his shyness in interviews), Reeves is actually [[BadassBookworm ridiculously well-read and contemplative]]. On several occasions, he has talked about the philosophical meaning he sees in his characters, even the silly ones. He also believes that every project, no matter the subject matter, should have the highest-quality cast possible, and has been known to give up his upfront salary so that films can hire top-level talent that wouldn't be affordable otherwise. He's additionally famous as an incredibly NiceGuy and purportedly one of the most normal, well-adjusted people in Hollywood. How far this is based on fact, only those close to him can say, but one possible translation of his first name is "The Coolness"[[note]]A more accurate translation is "cool breeze", with the original language being Hawaiian (Reeves is of part-Hawaiian heritage on his father’s side)[[/note]], so...
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17	Reeves has been creatively showcased in many of his more prominent films as a stoic loner who [[IAmWho possesses tremendous powers beyond the comprehension of mortals]] and is out to [[SavingTheWorld save the world]]. He's also known as a comic actor, and his turns in ''Film/TheGift2000'', ''Film/TheWatcher'' and ''Film/ManOfTaiChi'' show that he has a little-utilized or recognized talent for playing very scary, creepy heavies. Despite this, Hollywood has insisted on casting him as a [[WhiteMaleLead Leading Man]] ActionHero, contributing to his reputation for a limited range.
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19	He's also known for having a sizable following on the Internet for a variety of reasons, many of them revolving around [[MemeticMutation memes]], his NiceGuy stature, or [[MemeticBadass both]]. These include his affinity for saying "Whoa" earlier in his career, his tendency to [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/conspiracy-keanu ponder conspiracies]], the likelihood of him being [[http://www.keanuisimmortal.com/ an immortal]], his wager of [[Series/SaturdayNightLive eleventy billion dollars]], his complimentary word of choice being [[VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077 "breathtaking"]], and his status as one of the biggest [[TheWoobie Woobies]] in Hollywood through the [[http://i.imgur.com/2fonu.jpg "Sad Keanu"]] meme started on Website/FourChan.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Reeves went through several serious hardships in his life: he hardly knew his dad, his daughter was stillborn, and the mother died in a car accident a few months later. He also lives very conservatively and tends to donate most of his salary to charity. Various pictures show him looking sad and contemplative, contrasting the idea that he is [[TheStoic a stoic]].[[/labelnote]] Unsurprisingly, he is annoyed by the attention this has garnered him, though he's also [[http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ouqge/keanu_reeves_ask_me_if_you_want_almost_anything/ccvu9dq stated]] that he found the "Sad Keanu" meme [[ActuallyPrettyFunny funny]]. He also has a glowing reputation on Website/{{Reddit}}, with an [[https://www.reddit.com/r/KeanuBeingAwesome/ entire community]] dedicated to him under the name "Keanu Reeves Being Awesome" having hundreds of thousands of followers.
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21	In 2013, he directed his first film, ''Man of Tai Chi''.
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23	Outside of movies, he's [[LeadBassist a bassist]], most famously for the defunct band Dogstar, who have reunited in 2023 for a tour and a new album.
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25	In 2020, Creator/BoomStudios launched a Website/{{Kickstarter}} campaign [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/boom-studios/brzrkr-by-keanu-reeves-matt-kindt-and-ron-garney to fund]] ''ComicBook/{{BRZRKR}}'', a ComicBook co-written by Keanu and Creator/MattKindt with art by Ron Garney about an immortal warrior who looks a lot like the man himself. RealitySubtext is perhaps best left to speculation.
26	----
27	!!Has starred in:
28	* ''Film/{{Youngblood\|1986}}'' (1986) as Heaver
29	* "Film/{{Flying\|1986}}" (1986) as Tommy Warnecki
30	* ''Film/RiversEdge'' (1986) as Matt
31	* ''Theatre/BabesInToyland'' (1986) as Jack Fenton / Jack-be-Nimble
32	* ''Literature/DangerousLiaisons'' (1988) as Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny
33	* ''Franchise/BillAndTed'' as Ted "Theodore" Logan
34	** ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' (1989)
35	** ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'' (1991)
36	** ''Film/BillAndTedFaceTheMusic'' (2020)
37	* ''Film/{{Parenthood}}'' (1989) as Tod Higgins
38	* ''Series/TheTraceyUllmanShow'' (1989) as Jesse Walker
39	* ''Film/ILoveYouToDeath'' (1990) as Marlon James
40	* ''Film/{{Point Break\|1991}}'' (1991) as Johnny Utah
41	* ''Film/MyOwnPrivateIdaho'' (1991) as Scott Favor
42	* Music/PaulaAbdul music video, "Rush Rush" (1991)
43	* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' (1992) as Jonathan Harker
44	* ''Film/{{Freaked}}'' (1993) as Ortiz the Dog Boy
45	* ''Film/{{Much Ado About Nothing\|1993}}'' (1993) as Don John
46	* ''Film/{{Speed}}'' (1994) as Jack Traven
47	* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'' (1995) as Johnny Mnemonic
48	* ''Film/AWalkInTheClouds'' (1995) as Paul Sutton
49	* ''Film/ChainReaction'' (1996) as Eddie Kasalivich
50	* ''Film/TheDevilsAdvocate'' (1997) as Kevin Lomax
51	* ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' as Thomas A. Anderson/Neo
52	** ''Film/TheMatrix'' (1999)
53	** ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' (2003)
54	** ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' (2003)
55	** ''[[Anime/TheAnimatrix The Animatrix: Kid's Story]]'' (2003, voice)
56	** ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'' (2003, voice)
57	** ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' (2021)
58	* ''Series/{{Action}}'' (1999) as himself
59	* ''Film/{{The Replacements\|2000}}'' (2000) as Shane Falco
60	* ''Film/TheWatcher'' (2000) as David Allen Griffin
61	* ''Film/{{The Gift\|2000}}'' (2000) as Donnie Barksdale
62	* ''Film/SomethingsGottaGive'' (2003) as Julian Mercer
63	* ''Film/{{Thumbsucker}}'' (2005) as Perry Lyman
64	* ''Film/{{Constantine\|2005}}'' (2005) as ComicBook/JohnConstantine
65	* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' (2006) as Bob Arctor
66	* ''Film/TheLakeHouse'' (2006) as Alex Wyler
67	* ''Film/StreetKings'' (2008) as Detective Tom Ludlow
68	* ''Film/{{The Day the Earth Stood Still\|2008}}'' (2008) as Klaatu
69	* ''Film/HenrysCrime'' (2010) as Henry Torne
70	* ''Film/ManOfTaiChi'' (2013) as Donaka Mark
71	* ''Film/FortySevenRonin'' (2013) as Kai
72	* ''Franchise/JohnWick'' as [[Characters/JohnWickJohnWick Jardani "John Wick" Jovonovich]]
73	** ''Film/JohnWick'' (2014)
74	** ''Film/JohnWickChapter2'' (2017)
75	** ''Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum'' (2019)
76	** ''Film/JohnWickChapter4'' (2023)
77	* ''Film/{{Knock Knock\|2015}}'' (2015) as Evan Webber
78	* ''Film/{{Keanu}}'' (2016) as Keanu (voice)
79	* ''Film/TheNeonDemon'' (2016) as Hank
80	* ''Film/TheBadBatch'' (2016) as The Dream
81	* ''Film/{{The Whole Truth\|2016}}'' (2016) as Richard Ramsay
82	* ''Film/ToTheBone'' (2017) as Dr. William Beckham
83	* ''Film/DestinationWedding'' (2018) as Frank
84	* ''Film/{{Replicas}}'' (2018) as William Foster
85	* ''Film/AlwaysBeMyMaybe'' (2019) as himself
86	* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' (2019) as Duke Caboom (voice)
87	* ''Film/BetweenTwoFernsTheMovie'' (2019) as himself
88	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOnTheRun'' (2020) as Sage
89	* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' (2020) as [[Characters/Cyberpunk2077JohnnySilverhand Johnny Silverhand]] (speaking voice, [[InkSuitActor model]] and MotionCapture)
90	** He reprises the role for the game's [[DownloadableContent DLC]], VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077PhantomLiberty.
91	* ''WesternAnimation/DCLeagueOfSuperPets'' (2022) as ComicBook/{{Batman}} (voice)
92	* ''Film/{{Sonic the Hedgehog 3\|2024}}'' (2024) as Shadow the Hedgehog (voice)
93
94	!!Keanu Reeves' works provide examples of the following tropes:
95	%%As with all Creator/ pages, trivia tropes about the creator specifically are to be posted here, not a Trivia/ page, as they technically are InUniverse in the case of the person's career.
96	%%However: As with all Creator/ pages, items that could go on a specific work's trivia page go there, not here.
97	* AdamWesting: He has so many well-known roles with [[invoked]]MemeticMutation that almost any of his appearances or interviews are immediately filled with a bunch of jokes and references to the Matrix or Bill and Ted.
98	** ''Film/AlwaysBeMyMaybe'' has him playing a [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} deranged]] version of himself.
99	* BadassBiker: Many of his roles have him kicking ass on a motorcycle. It may not be coincidental that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_Motorcycle he co-owns a custom-build motorbike company.]]
100	* ChewingTheScenery: As Ted, and during the angry rants of ''Film/JohnWick''.
101	* DarkIsNotEvil: In his most famous roles, he's almost always wearing dark colored clothing. Of course, most of these iconic roles are ultimately heroic.
102	* DullSurprise: A common criticism of his acting. He really manages to make it work for him in ''Film/ManOfTaiChi'', where it makes his character come off as even more sociopathic, in ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill2008'', where it helps him come across as an alien emissary [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith wearing a human suit]], and most of all, in ''Film/JohnWick'' where he can turn DullSurprise into a terrifying amount of TranquilFury.
103	* DyeingForYourArt: He has fattened, bulked, and shaved his head for some roles. He's also gone through an ''incredible'' amount of weapons training for the ''John Wick'' films, ensuring that his gunfighting skills are second-to-none in his role as the nigh-unstoppable assassin.
104	* FakeAmerican: He was born in Lebanon and raised in Canada, but most of his roles are Americans. In total fairness, his estranged father was American (being born in Hawaii and responsible for most of the multi-continent ancestry soup mentioned elsewhere on this page) and he did briefly live in New York as a kid.
105	* HiddenDepths:
106	** Some of his performances, particularly as an abusive redneck in ''The Gift'' may show such for those who are only familiar with the style he's known for.
107	** Keanu spent some time in college as [[https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/265282/keanu-reeves a hockey goaltender]] and even considered playing professionally before an injury led him to acting instead. Fans of both Keanu and hockey say being a goalie explains a ''lot'' about him. (Goalies have a reputation for being...a little kooky.)
108	* HollywoodHypeMachine: He had a solid career for about a decade, but the mega-success of ''Film/TheMatrix'' placed a spotlight on his limited acting style. He never completely stopped working, but the dominant conversation for just about any movie he was in afterwards was DullSurprise. It wasn't until about ''Film/JohnWick'' that public opinion started shifting more in his favor, talking more about him being a NiceGuy in real life, his exceptional physical presence, and ability to convey TranquilFury, peaking in 2019's "Keanussance" where his roles in ''Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum'', ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'', ''Film/AlwaysBeMyMaybe'' and his surprise involvement in ''VideoGame/{{Cyberpunk 2077}}'' made Keanu perhaps the most widely hyped actor over 50 in Hollywood.
109	* IKnowKarate: [[http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2j4ce1/keanu_reeves_hello/cl8a8p1 Somehow averted in real life]] even as it shows up frequently in his career.
110	* MagnumOpusDissonance: He's described Film/TheNeonDemon, one of his lesser known films and certainly one of the more unusual, as his favorite of his own films.
111	* MemeAcknowledgment: He was a bit annoyed at first by the attention given to him by "Sad Keanu" but later found himself enjoying most of the subsequent memes about him thanks in no part to his apparent realization that a lot of these were done out of genuine affection for him. He later turned "Sad Keanu" into an AscendedMeme by including a ShoutOut to it in his comic ''BRZRKR''.
112	* NiceGuy: Look up any "Nicest Guys In Hollywood" list and chances are Keanu is near the top of that list! He's extremely kind-hearted, sensible, friendly, and goes out of his way to help people that could use it.
113	* OneBookAuthor: ''Film/ManOfTaiChi'' is the only movie he directed as of 2024.
114	* OneManArmy: His characters in action movies very often play directly with this, turning his into ShowyInvincibleHero with a phlegmatic poker face that methodically destroys hordes of enemies. In particular, in the second Matrix, Neo literally single-handedly kick the ass to hundreds of enemies in one fight. His reputation reached the point that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keanumycin extremely potent antifungal compounds]] were named after him because they're both so deadly.
115	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Whenever he's supposed to do something different (British in ''Dracula'', Southern US in ''Devil's Advocate'') Keanu's Canadian accent will slip through at some point.
116	* PlaysGreatEthnics: Reeves' mixed ancestry allows for this. He's mostly played Caucasians or characters of [[AmbiguouslyBrown uncertain ethnicity]] but has played a couple of Asians as well.
117	* ShowyInvincibleHero: Neo, John Wick and Constantine are TropeCodifier of this.
118	* StarMakingRole: He was already well-known by the 1990s but ''The Matrix'' catapulted him to household name status.
119	* TallDarkAndHandsome: Is 6'1" tall, slim, dark-haired and [[OlderThanTheyLook young-looking for his age]].
120	* ThoseTwoActors: With Creator/WinonaRyder, with whom he appears in ''Film/BramStokersDracula'', ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'', ''The Private Lives of Pippa Lee'', and ''Film/DestinationWedding''.
121	* TomHanksSyndrome: ''Film/PointBreak1991'' is the first [[ActionGenre action movie]] which he starred in and the first film where he played an ActionHero, while his past career was mainly composed of teenage movies and arthouse. Some critics even criticized the film because of this, fearing that with this Keanu would ruin his serious career.
122	* TotallyRadical: As Ted in ''Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure''. A very common way of parodying his later works is to have him acting like Ted from ''Bill and Ted'' rather than his usual monotone.

Context Creator / KeanuReeves