Keanu Reeves Donated a Portion of ‘Matrix’ Salary to Fund Leukemia Research
Keanu Reeves donated 70% of his Matrix salary to leukemia. The John Wick actor, 57, donated 31.5 million dollars of his earnings from the first The Matrix movie to fund leukemia research. The actor was paid 10 million upfront and made over 35 million dollars.
This cause hits home for the actor. At the time, his younger sister, Kim, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 1991 and battled it for over a decade until it entered remission in 2001. During the time of her fight with the disease, Reeves assumed the role of her caregiver for a few years to ensure his sister received the best care possible. The actor even sold his home for 5 million dollars and put The Matrix series on hold to take care of her.
I can’t say enough of what a great person Keanu Reeves is.
— Tom Williams (@tommyboy0690) January 4, 2022
The touching reason why Keanu Reeves donated 70% of his ‘Matrix’ salary to cancer research https://t.co/xtOdOQKQiE
Despite Kim’s cancer being in remission, the cause remains dear to Reeves’ heart. He even created his own private foundation for cancer research in the 2000s.
“I have a private foundation that’s been running for five or six years, and it helps aid a couple of children’s hospitals and cancer research,” Reeves shared with the Ladies Home Journal in 2009. “I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.”
This guy, Keanu Reeves, is my hero. Reports say that he donated 70% of his ‘Matrix’ salary to cancer research. I wish I could do that myself! I will keep on fundraising though and I hope to raise a lot! Go to https://t.co/IppvcPg2jw to donate. Thanks Keanu and all who donate! pic.twitter.com/qXmcftrMk6
— Michael Fullam (@RealMFullam) January 5, 2022
One more reason to absolutely love this guy…one of the most beloved actors, and proves yet again it’s what you do when no one is looking that matters most 😊🤙
— AV8 (@AV8intheblue) January 4, 2022
Keanu Reeves Donated 70% of His ‘The Matrix’ Earnings to Cancer Research https://t.co/VZV5aAezmi
His commitment stretches even further, continuing to donate his money to different cancer charities. In 2020, Reeves auctioned himself off a fifteen-minute Zoom date. He donated $19,000 to Camp Rainbow Gold, a summer program in Idaho for kids diagnosed with cancer. While fans wait to see what else Reeves has in store, all of the Matrix films are available on HBO Max.
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