Keanu Reeves Opened Up About The Major On-Set Accident That Seriously Injured Him

Aug 01, 2024

Actor Keanu Reeves is one of Hollywood's finest men – and he's also one of Hollywood's nicest. On top of having a reputation for being so kind, Reeves is also a bonafide action star whose filmography speaks for itself. Some of his most well-known works include the "John Wick" and "The Matrix" franchises, as well as plenty of films in various genres, such as romantic comedies, dramas and thrillers.

There are plenty of examples out there that show just why Reeves is considered such a nice guy. From the time he gave up his seat on the subway for a stranger and the various moments he's shared with homeless people on the streets, listening to their stories, to the many donations he's given to charities, Reeves is the epitome of a stand-up citizen. Reeves has also taken the time to show his fellow cast and crew members on film sets he's been a part of just how much they mean to him and how much he respects them and their time.

Reeves has continued to have a great reputation in Hollywood and is still in demand in big productions and films. In 2024, he was cast in an American comedy film starring and directed by comedian Aziz Ansari along with Seth Rogen. Many cast doubt as to how the action star would fare well in a comedy flick, but it seemed like the genre switch was not a huge challenge for Reeves. In fact, he even had so much fun that he had an accident and suffered a serious physical injury. Read on to learn more about Reeves and his injury. 

Although widely known as an actor, Reeves's expression of art goes beyond being featured in movies. He is also a musician and a director. Reeves' acting career took off in 1984 when he starred in a small role in the Canadian sitcom "Hangin' In." He went on to feature in several film projects, including "Brotherhood of Justice," "River's Edge," "The Prince of Pennsylvania" and "Permanent Record," among others. But it wasn't until 1989 that he got his breakout role in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" before reprising his role in the 1991 sequel "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey."

After experiencing breakthroughs in acting, Reeves became interested in making music and kicked off his career by forming a band called Dogstar. Dogstar was an alternative rock band with four founding members: Reeves, Robert Mailhouse, Gregg Miller and Bret Domrose. In 1995, the band embarked on an extensive tour around the US and Asia, even opening for David Bowie at his 1995 Hollywood Palladium gig.  

Miller eventually left the band at the end of their tour, and in 1996, the remaining three members released their debut album titled "Our Little Visionary." This was followed by a second album titled "Happy Ending," after which the band broke up. In 2022, two decades after they went their separate ways, the band announced their reemergence through their Instagram page. 

Barely a year after the announcement, they performed publicly for the first time in over a decade at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival. This was followed by the release of their single "Everything Turns Around," and the commencement of their North America and Japan tour, and the release of their third album, "Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees."

But Reeves' foray into music doesn't mean he left his main career as an actor. In April 2023, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Ansari, Rogen and Reeves would star in "Good Fortune," but it was only a year later that they started filming. Two weeks in, photos of Reeves on set with crutches and an ice pack on his left knee circulated online, which worried many fans. In a July 2024 interview with Stephen Colbert, Reeves revealed the shocking story behind the physical injury. 

Colbert playfully asked Reeves what "got" to him, and the action star confessed: "No one got to me. Accident got to me." Colbert inquired further, asking Reeves if he was "jumping from building to building" or if he was "doing a cartwheel past razor blades." 

It turns out that Reeves was filming a scene in which he, Ansari, and Rogen get into a "cold plunge." After they finished the sequence, he joked about how he had been doing the "cold shuffle" in a room with protective carpets, but his foot got caught in a pocket, causing him to tumble and land on his knee.

"And I spiked. Like, spiked," Reeves added. "Just drove it into the ground. My patella, kneecap, cracked like a potato chip. But I didn't know that. But then once my knee was blowing up." 

Reeves even added that comedy is "hard," and the actor and host even had a back-and-forth in which the former confirmed that he was really doing a comedy film and not an action one. 

Despite the grisly details of his accident, Reeves seemed to remember the story as something light-hearted and fans have noticed that. 

"Keanu telling the story of how he annihilated his knee with the energy of a little kid telling his dad about a cool trick he did," one fan said. 

"Keanu Reeves gets injured but then, his body says 'Fight Neo!' and he gets better. He's unstoppable but also, one the best human beings on this planet," another declared. 

Are you a fan of Keanu Reeves? What do you think of his recent incident? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other Keanu Reeves fans out there!