Keanu Reeves donates 70% of ‘The Matrix’ earnings to cancer research charities

The born in Beirut, Lebanon and raised in Toronto, Canada actor Keanu Reeves, is known for his incredible roles in movies the likes of Point Break, Speed, and of course the highly regarded Matrix franchise. Somewhat lesser known to the public but extremely admirable is the 57-year-olds charity work, recently Reeves has gone one step further than previous by donating 70% of his earnings from ‘The Matrix’ 1999 film to fund cancer research.

Toppling a total of $31 million in donations, the fund of research is one that is close to the actor’s heart, inspired by his sister Kim’s ten year battle with leukaemia before entering remission between 1991 and 2001. Although his sister has now since recovered, the need for further research has kept close on the mind of Keanu Reeves who set up a secretive charity to aid research. It was reported in 2009 that this charity aids people dealing with cancer as well as a number of children’s charities.

“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, – I don’t like to attach my name to it, I just let the foundation do what it does.” – Reeves discussing the charity to Ladies Home Journal in 2009.

The revival of the Matrix, titled The Matrix Resurrections recently opened in cinemas and the HBOmax streaming service to a somewhat disappointing box office, largely blamed on the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic and subsequential closure of cinemas around the world. The movie has been released alongside a steller soundtrack score, composed by Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, and the soundtrack also includes remixes from DJ’s the likes of Alessandro Adriani, Moderna, and Marcel Dettmann.

Image Credit: Karwai Tang / Getty