Keanu Reeves reveals the stage names he almost used in early Hollywood

Keanu Reeves gets candid about his “welcome to Hollywood” moment early in his career.

In a recent interview on the “New Heights” podcast on Oct. 15, the 61-year-old “John Wick” star discussed his early days in Hollywood and the many stage names he tried before choosing to keep his name.

“I got paid when I was 16, so I was a professional actor around 16, 17. [years old]” Reeves said. “I was in Toronto, Canada, and then I found a manager who lived in Los Angeles.

“When I was 20, I drove my car to Los Angeles. I got out of my car and my manager said, ‘We want to change your name.’ So it’s like, welcome to Hollywood [moment]. I remember walking on the beach and I was like, “My name? What if I change my name? What?'”

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He then recalled trying to come up with a stage name, initially choosing Chuck Spadina, combining his middle name, Charles, and the Toronto street he grew up on.

Chuck Spadina didn’t last long. Another name has been proposed.

“Then I was something from Templeton,” he said. He and his team finally came up with a new idea.

“So I became KC Reeves. I was credited as KC Reeves,” he said. “And then I couldn’t do it. So I’d go on auditions and they’d say, ‘KC Reeves.’ And I wouldn’t even respond. Six months later, I was like, ‘I’m not doing that.’ It’s a Hollywood moment.”

“When I was 20, I drove my car to Los Angeles. I got out of my car and my manager said, ‘We want to change your name.’ So it’s like a welcome to Hollywood [moment]”.

-Keanu Reeves

Reeves appeared in several TV movies in 1986 and 1987 before landing a role in the 1988 drama “Dangerous Liaisons.” He became a household name as Ted in 1989’s “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

His breakout role in the 1989 film earned him starring roles in the “Point Break,” “Speed” and “The Matrix” franchises, cementing his status as a leading man in Hollywood. He currently plays the role of a guardian angel in the comedy “Good Fortune”.

Reeves starred in “The Matrix” franchise. (Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)

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The actor walked the red carpet at the “Good Fortune” premiere on Oct. 13 with his girlfriend, Alexandra Grant, who recently addressed rumors that the two had secretly married this year. She addressed the rumors in an Instagram post featuring a photo of the two of them kissing while visiting Roden Crater, an art installation in Arizona.

“This is a real photo. Not an engagement photo or an AI wedding announcement… just a kiss! (Even maybe right before or after… given the slightly ridiculous expressions on our faces!),” she wrote in the caption. “We’re at Roden Crater, and Keanu and Gard had just finished interviewing James Turrell for Visionaries.

Grant recently shut down rumors that she and Reeves secretly got married. (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

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“I’m sharing it here to thank everyone for the congratulations on our wedding. Except we didn’t get married. Good news is a must these days, but it’s always fake news, so be careful! So here’s some real happiness! Real photo of Brian Skope.”

Rumors of a wedding began in June 2025 after Grant wore a ring while walking the red carpet with Reeves at the “Ballerina” premiere.

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The couple confirmed their relationship in November 2019, when they appeared together on the red carpet at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles. A source told People at the time that Reeves “is extremely happy and grateful having Alex in your life.”