One of the most beloved actors of all time, Keanu Reeves, he could have been known today by the general public in another way, since in Hollywood, at the beginning of his career, someone was intending to change his name.
And mind you, we’re not talking about a cool name like Dick Van Dyke, Orlando Bloom or Jack Black, but a decidedly absurd name, especially when thinking of the dark (but tender) Keanu.
Someone wanted Keanu Reeves to change his name early in his career
Talking with Good Morning America on the occasion of his promotional tour for Matrix Resurrections, the actor revealed the curious anecdote concerning his first steps in Hollywood.
We are talking about the 1980s, a time when stage names were certainly not unusual and, just like so many other celebrities, the first thing they asked Keanu was to change his name.
“I was 20 and I was in my first car” Keanu said. “I wanted to appear in movies so I’m going to Hollywood and, once I get there, the first thing they say to me is ‘We would like you to change your name'”.
My reaction was immediate and I asked ‘Why’? and they replied: ‘Well, maybe Keanu is a little too exotic. ‘ So I thought ‘Ok, let’s try’. But they came up with a more ridiculous name than the other, like Chuck Spadina. And in the end I didn’t make it, I kept mine“.
Exactly. Chuck Spadina. I don’t even want to think about the fact that we risked seeing “Chuck Spadina as Neo in The Matrix“.
As told by the same actor on several occasions, his name actually has Hawaiian origins and has a deeper meaning than Chuck; in fact it means “fresh breeze that flies over the mountains “.
