Keanu Reeves Takes the Walk of Fame

By James Wray Feb 1, 2005, 11:10 GMT

Reeves in a scene from the forthcoming supernatural action film 'Constantine'

Reeves attended a ceremony close to Hollywood Boulevard yesterday afternoon; he said: "When I was 15 years old and a kid in Canada, I was doing a play called 'Romeo and Juliet,'“ he then thanked his mother; "I asked my mom if it was OK to be an actor. She said, 'Whatever you want.' So thanks mom."

The actor’s road to Hollywood stardom has seen him travel from his birthplace in Beirut to New York and Toronto where he grew up.

As with many actors he started acting on the stage, starring in various theatre productions in and around Toronto. He was also a bit of hockey star, earning the name "The Wall." But the actor says Hollywood was calling him; "I got in my car, a 1969 British racing green Volvo -- holes in the floor, bricks holding up the seats. I was a young man full of hopes and dreams."

His first feature film role was in "Youngblood" alongside Rob Lowe and "River Edge" the same year gave him some critical acclaim. But it was three years before he landed is first leading role in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," where he played a dim witted teenage time traveler, a sequel "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" followed a few years later.

He became a household name when cast opposite Sandra Bullock in action adventure "Speed," but did not star in the sequel. Instead he took on the role of Neo in "The Matrix" trilogy and saved the world from a living nightmare.

"This has been an amazing journey. I hope it continues," he told the crowd.

Keanu Reeves can next be seen in "Constantine," where he plays John Constantine.

Born with a gift he didn’t want, the ability to clearly recognize the half-breed angels and demons that walk the earth in human skin, Constantine was driven to take his own life to escape the tormenting clarity of his vision. But he failed. Resuscitated against his will, he found himself cast back into the land of the living. Now, marked as an attempted suicide with a temporary lease on life, he patrols the earthly border between heaven and hell, hoping in vain to earn his way to salvation by sending the devil’s foot soldiers back to the depths.

But Constantine is no saint. Disillusioned by the world around him and at odds with the one beyond, he’s a hard-drinking, hard-living bitter hero who scorns the very idea of heroism. Constantine will fight to save your soul but he doesn’t want your admiration or your thanks – and certainly not your sympathy.

The movie hits theatres February 18.