John Wick actor Keanu Reeves recently recalled his early days in Hollywood. He went on to reveal that he was told by the agents to change his name.
Keanu Reeves sheds light on the matter
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. He was told to change his name.
He revealed that he even chalked out some names for himself. However, he ultimately decided not to change his name.
“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.
