Matthew Perry apologizes for ‘Keanu Reeves still walks among us’ putdown in new book
NEW YORK — Actor Keanu Reeves is a celebrity who has been in motion pictures, on TV, and for almost two decades, on the silver screen.
But it seems he remains a celebrity who has been on his way out in the industry.
When the actor sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for an interview in 2005, he said he was thinking of retiring from the film business.
“I’m tired of doing everything again,” he said. “I’m not in it to make a living.”
Reeves’ latest book is “Keanu: The Life of a Star,” and he talked with the publication about his career, life in general and the “Keanu Reeves Walk Among Us” social media campaign.
Reeves was referring to the viral campaign that was launched to get his co-stars to wear “Keanu Reeves Still Wears His Belts” shirts and hats, and share a video link with the actor and director on Twitter.
The campaign was started by actor and model Michael Sheen, a friend of Reeves and longtime collaborator, who died in July. Sheen and Reeves had collaborated on many projects — including the films “The Matrix,” “L.A. Confidential” and “Hairspray” — before Sheen passed away.
“Keanu said he wanted to move away from doing all that and wanted to let his fans do all the things they wanted to do,” Perry wrote in “Keanu: The Life of a Star.”
“So he quit acting, he quit doing commercials, he quit making movies for other people. And he wanted to have it all. But if you think about it now, he did have it all. He was living out the lifestyle that he wanted and he was enjoying every minute of it. He did the most important thing in his life — his family.”
“Keanu: The Life of a Star,” the memoir which won a 2011 National Book Award, starts with an introduction by actor James Caan, who says he first met Reeves when Reeves was working on a film that Caan was directing, and his production, called “The Long Goodbye,” fell apart.
Cain, who was nominated for an Oscar for his
