1. He's the face of globalization
Born in Beirut to an English mother and a father of Hawaiian and Chinese descent, he's a citizen of the world. And unlike the multiracial Vin Diesel, he saves the-universe with geekiness, not mere muscle.
2. He's now Hollywood's sci-fi guy
He was the first actor to bring William Gibson's work to the screen with Johnny Mnemonic. When Ewan McGregor and Will Smith turned down the part of Neo, Reeves jumped at the chance to enter the Matrix.
3. He made a trilogy that beats the Star Wars prequels
Reeves said of the original Matrix, "It's got the kind of mythical figures that make a classic: the hero, the wise man, the-warriors, the guides, the prophesy, the oracle, and the messiah." All that, and no Jar Jar.
4. He's an early adopter
His former band Dogstar released an enhanced CD way back in 1996, when the only "dual disc" was a double-sided vinyl LP.
5. He loves a well-built machine
Despite his inner Buddha, Reeves covets Norton motorcycles. We'd like to see the Wachowski brothers direct him in a big-screen version of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
6. He reveres the F/X guys
Reeves gave millions of his backend earnings from the Matrix sequels to the movies' costume and special effects teams.
7. He enjoys a good graphic novel
Reeves is a huge fan of Frank Miller, creator of The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City. He also starred in Constantine, the big-screen adaptation of the creepy comic book Hellblazer, and he's been mentioned as a possible lead in the Silver Surfer film.
8. He's hipper than a Japanese schoolgirl
Reeves the fanboy has an impressive record for spotting what's next in everything from music (Architecture in Helsinki) to movies (director Mike Mills).
9. He's a videogame thespian
He didn't just participate in the anime crossover The Animatrix; he was also game enough to shoot extensive motion-capture for Atari's Enter the Matrix.
10. He's smart. No, really.
Reeves has called himself a "meathead," but Matrix producer Joel Silver insists he's "very well read, very conscious of the world, politics, the economy." He can talk about the differences between the-theories of Schopenhauer, Hegel, and Kant. And he's even a crack chess player. Hey, maybe he is the One.
Keanu Reeves
credit Everett Collection
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