Keanu Reeves says agents asked him to change his name to something less 'ethnic'
The Canadian "John Wick" actor has found major success in his career, but not without a few hurdles.
Keanu Reeves is opening up about his early days in Hollywood.
On Monday, the "John Wick" star, 58, appeared on the "SmartLess" podcast, where he recalled his decision to move from Toronto to Los Angeles in pursuit of his acting career.
While Reeves ultimately found major success, his journey didn't come without a few obstacles.
"I got my first car when I was 20, and I drove to Hollywood," Reeves shared. "Of course, when I got here, they wanted to change my name."
"Yeah, they were like, Keanu, it's too, uh, ethnic."
After being urged to change his name, Reeves said he took his frustrations to a beach in Santa Monica, where he brainstormed alternative names for himself.
"I was like, 'OK, well, what's my name going to be?' And I was like, 'Templeton,'" he said.
He opted for the name Casey Reeves. However, the new alias was short-lived once he realized he did not want to change his name after all.
"Eventually, I went back to my agents and I was like, 'I can't change my name,'" Reeves explained.
Earlier this month, the Toronto-raised actor spoke with "ET Canada" host Keshia Chanté, where he was praised for his stardom.
"First of all, you are Canadian royalty," Chanté said, before Reeves bashfully replied, "No, I'm not. No."
"I promise you you are," Chanté added, to which the "Point Break" actor responded with, "That's kind."
When asked what keeps the "Internet's boyfriend" so grounded, Reeves had a simple answer.
"Humility. I don't know. ... I mean, I'm just an actor," he said. "I'm just a guy. I'm just trying to do the best I can. You know, hopefully, people like what I do, you know?"
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