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How Hollywood could learn from Keanu Reeves

Graphic by Sarah Irwin

Keanu Reeves has become one of the most popular and beloved actors of the 21st century. Among the bevy of reasons why is that he has maintained a relatively stellar reputation among various groups based on both his performances and behavior, things other celebrities could learn from.

Various examples demonstrate that Reeves has shown himself to be a truly kind and genuine person. He took pay cuts for some of the “Matrix” movies to ensure funds for special effects and costumes. He’s been praised for respecting women when taking photographs with them. Outside of his career, Reeves also runs a charity that supports cancer research and children’s hospitals.

An important, but unfortunate, note is that Reeves’ behavior around women in particular isn’t the standard. Some people like to think that the exploitation of women in the media has all but disappeared these days, but it really hasn’t. There are a depressing amount of reports of sexual assault or harassment in the film industry from the past couple of years.

There are several individuals in Hollywood that have proved to be arrogant, selfish and disrespectful toward their coworkers and female fans. Audiences seem to gravitate so much towards Reeves because he represents a buck in the trend of toxic masculinity and shows that you don’t need to be mean-spirited to be popular.

People are tired of the constant selfishness and lack of respect coming from men across the industry and it’s imperative that more men show consideration for others. Unlike a lot of Hollywood celebrities, Reeves shows that he is a respectable person, instead of just talking about how incredible he is. He brags very little about all of his accomplishments even though he is probably the one that deserves to the most.

It’s still good to have a healthy sense of skepticism, though, since we can never truly know what he, or any public figure, is like in private. One thing that is for sure is that fans and audiences want change and to see others being more charitable, humble and respectful to the people around them. It’s evident that Reeves is setting a good example; let’s hope the rest of Hollywood gets the message.

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