In a different world, Keanu Reeves might have been known to us as "Chuck Spadina"
Reeves explained to Good Morning America that he considered using Spadina as a stage name
It’s never good to dwell too much on things that could have been. That road leads only to sadness and regret—an inability to move on with life and accept that we can’t change the past. But it’s hard not to linger on how the world we live in might be different when you learn, for instance, that famous movie star Keanu Reeves could have been known to us as Chuck Spadina.
Reeves/Spadina revealed this information during an interview with Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan. While talking about the upcoming Matrix Resurrections and the early days of his career, Reeves mentions that he was once asked to take on a stage name because, according to some Hollywood people, Keanu sounded too “exotic.”
“So, I’m 20 years old, I’m in my first car, I wanted to be in movies, I went to Hollywood,” Reeves says. “And I get there and they’re like, ‘we wanna change your name.’”
He remembers asking why, being told that maybe Keanu is “a little too exotic,” and then, after a sharp exhale, says “I did.” Strahan asks what kind of stage names he considered and Reeves immediately responds with, “Chuck Spadina. I just came up with ridiculous names.”
Ultimately, he says he “couldn’t do it” and ended up sticking with his real name.
As much as we agree with Reeves’ ultimate decision to stick with his actual name, it’s hard to deny the beauty of the alias he dreamed up, and the tribute to both the wide world of Charleses and the major Toronto road that Reeves, who lived in the city for much of his youth, presumably used as reference. (A version of Speed starring Chuck Spadina would have given ‘80s transit-jam “Spadina Bus” a different legacy, too.)
Still, even though he made a good decision and there’s no use regretting that now, it’s not too late for Reeves to honor his bygone alias by starting up a new film series where, instead of playing yet another guy named John, he provides audiences across the world with exciting stories about an action hero named Chuck Spadina.
[via Digg]
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