Whoa is he
In 1988, while on his way up, action hero Keanu Reeves fought a cold at TIFF. Jessica Dee Humphreys takes a look back
Hollywood nice guy Keanu Reeves is renowned for being polite, respectful and down to earth. In other words, he is quintessentially Canadian (he even considered a career in professional hockey). So, it comes as no surprise that on Dec. 4, the Beirut-born, Toronto-raised actor will earn a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
A 24-year-old Reeves, pictured here in 1988 fighting a cold at the Four Seasons during the Toronto International Film Festival, was quoted in the accompanying article in typical modest fashion. Reflecting on the impact of other famous movie stars, he said, “I don’t think I’m going to have that big an imprint on the world.”
However, the films Reeves went on to star in, including “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Speed,” “The Matrix” and “John Wick,” would give lie to that modest opinion.
Of course, for the past two decades, Reeves’ off-screen charm has been as legendary as his characters. Social media is awash with candid photos of Reeves, whose “Matrix Resurrections” opens next month, offering his subway seat to women, cuddling puppies, sharing a rental car with stranded travellers, and hauling equipment with his film crew, more than earning him the sobriquet “the Internet’s boyfriend.”
Toronto yoga therapist and dancer Karusia Wroblewski apprenticed under the actor’s mother, Patric Erin Reeves, in the 1980s while Keanu attended high school in Toronto. “He had charisma even then,” Wroblewski says.
“I worked out of her atelier in their home on Grace Street, sewing magnificent bespoke wardrobes for those who could afford such a luxury,” she says, adding that Patric had trained as a couturier in Paris and created elaborate hand-beaded gowns for the likes of Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
“Keanu would pop in and out of the house where I was working,” says Wroblewski. “He was always very polite and so lovely. His mother always said her kids (Kim, Keanu, and stepdaughter Karina) have a kind of magical charm.”
Patric told Wroblewski about how teenage Kim was stopped in the street by top modelling agent Elmer Olsen, and how young Keanu, who was becoming interested in acting, would get parts without even auditioning. “They really stood out,” says Wroblewski. “Both Keanu and Kim were stunningly beautiful.”
But then as today, Reeves’ most striking feature was his personality. “He was so devoted to his sister and his mother,” says Wroblewski. “Kim had some hard times, and he always looked after her. He always made sure she and their mother were OK.”