Keanu Reeves is best known for his role in The Matrix as protagonist Neo. He also has played starring roles in the films Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures and Much Ado About Nothing.
And Reeves has dyslexia.
He was born to a British mother and Hawaiian father in Lebanon. His unusual first name is Hawaiian for “cool breeze over the mountains”. He moved around a lot as a child and struggled with school due to his dyslexia. When he was a teenager, he was expelled because, in his own words, “I was just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often. I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school.”
He let off some steam in the hockey rink, where he was a star goalie, often referred to as “The Wall”. He loved the sport and aspired to go pro before an injury closed that door to him. He needn’t to find another outlet since excelling academically was not an option at the time.
“Because I had trouble reading, I wasn’t a good student,” Reeves explains to Handbag magazine. “I didn’t finish high school. I did a lot of pretending as a child. It was my way of coping with the fact that I didn’t really feel like I fit in.”
Reeves turned that talent for pretending into a burgeoning acting career around age 15, taking local classes and performing in school plays. Despite his reading troubles, Reeves discovered a deep and enduring passion for Shakespeare. “I recite Shakespeare to calm myself down,” he told Seventeen magazine in 1994. “I love Shakespeare. When I was 18, I did Romeo and Juliet onstage. It’s very relaxing when you read it out loud. Try it. I really like Hamlet.”
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Sarah Forrest is a Reading Specialist for the Easyread System, an online course for struggling readers with dyslexia, highly visual learning styles, poor memory, auditory processing disorder, stress spirals and more.
Thank you, Sarah Forrest, for writing this interesting bit of news on one of my favorite Actors. I knew a lot of the things that you wrote, except for two: the meaning of Keanu’s name (which is awesome!)…Looking at Keanu, I can actually see and feel that cool breeze over the mountains (;o)*; and the fact that he reads Shakespeare to calm himself down…Interesting!
Who knows, maybe if Keanu hadn’t been injured, he would have been a famous Hockey player…but I prefer the fact that he is an Actor, and brings to life so many interesting aspects on the big screen, and not only Matrix…lol! (;o)*
smiles from across the roaming miles from
Melody Fox (aka the Princess of Rock)
Love Peace Music
p.s.: Besides being a DJ, I am a writer myself…
I am hoping to somehow get in touch with Keanu as he idea real inspiration for a dyslexic person. My little boy Matthew who is ten is struggling terrible and caused him so much stress. It’s heart wrenching and I don’t know what to do for him except keep him trying but he’s unhappy with school and reading is a huge part of life. I wish he could talk to him somehow encourage him , offer us hope!! Mr reeves is a remarkable person, I’m hoping and praying my son can aspire to be as successful as him. And to also be happy and conten.
Reading difficulties don’t have to define your future success, Jennifer. Do get in touch with us at any point if you’d like to discuss the Easyread System for your son. – Maddie
im not Keanu Reeves but I have dislexia. i believe lots of positive happy reinforcement is something someone with dislexia needs. It’s so hard to have the feeling of not measuring up to anyone else. I always feel odd man out, but I have learned to deal with it and there is so many good things about someone with dislexia. We have amazing ability to do what we love. I have found that the very thing that tore me down as a child, has made me stronger than most. When I set my mind to something I’m awesome in it..it takes me longer to learn something but in the end I learn an do better than most others. Stability is needed an loving boundary will help. Let him feel his feelings and the knowing he has a safe place an go and boundary I feel will help. I moved around a lot and my parents where very self absorbed so it was tough but I am stronger for it. I hope this helped if not God bless I pray your son will have good self esteem.