Keanu Reeves reveals why he almost changed his name early in his film career: 'That’s a Hollywood...

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Chuck Spadina? Templeton Paige Taylor? Is that you? Keanu Reeves reveals why he almost changed his name early in his film career: 'That's a Hollywood moment'

Chuck Spadina? Templeton Paige Taylor? Is that you?

Keanu Reeves reveals why he almost changed his name early in his film career: 'That's a Hollywood moment'

Chuck Spadina? Templeton Paige Taylor? Is that you?

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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October 16, 2025 11:00 a.m. ET

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Keanu Reeves at the 'Good Fortune' New York special screening held at AMC Lincoln Square 13. Credit:

John Nacion/Variety via Getty

Keanu Reeves is one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, but the actor has revealed that he almost went by an entirely different name. **

The *John Wick* star, 61, explained that one of his early managers encouraged him to choose a different stage name, but that he ultimately returned to his own after a brief trial period.**

"I got paid when I was like 16, so I was a professional actor around 16, 17 [years old]," Reeves said on a recent episode of the *New Heights* podcast. "I was in Toronto, Canada, and then I got a manager who lived in Los Angeles."

Keanu Reeves at the Dangerous Liaisons New York City premiere.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

It was his new manager, he noted, that had some reservations about the name Keanu Reeves. **

"At 20 years old, I drove in my car to Los Angeles. Got out of my car and my manager said, 'We want to change your name,'" Reeves recalled to sibling hosts Jason and Travis Kelce. "So that's like, a welcome to Hollywood [moment]."**

When asked if they had a second name already selected for him, Reeves explained that they didn't but that the suggestion certainly rattled him.

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"I remember I was walking on the beach and I was just like, 'My name? What if I change my *name*? What?" he said, grabbing his hair.

So, Reeves started brainstorming potential options. "My middle name is Charles, so I was like, '…Chuck?' And I grew up on a street called Spadina, [therefore] Chuck Spadina. And then I was something Templeton," he said. "So then I became KC Reeves. I was credited as KC Reeves." **

Reeves noted that, to his knowledge, he is credited as "KC Reeves" in his fist film. It's true — Reeves is credited as "K.C. Reeves" in 1986 *Magical World of Disney* made-for-TV film, per his IMDb page.

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However, the name was short-lived. "And then I couldn't do it," he confessed. "So then I would be in auditions and they would go, 'KC Reeves.' And I wouldn't even answer. Six months later, I was like, 'I'm not doing this.' That's a Hollywood moment."

When visiting *The Tonight Show *in 2017, Reeves revealed that he also tried out the name Templeton Paige Taylor in addition to Chuck Spadina. **

"It's perfect," host Jimmy Fallon said of the name at the time, "because the only thing they could say is, 'Let's stick with Keanu Reeves.'"**

"I wish!" Reeves exclaimed. "I tried to wear them down!"

Watch Reeves discuss almost becoming Chuck Spadina in the clip above.

Original Article on Source

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