Keanu Reeves Was Told His Name Was ‘Too Ethnic’ When He First Started Acting

Keanu Reeves is being candid about his early career in show business. The “John Wick” actor, 58, spoke about his decision to move from Toronto to Los Angeles in order to pursue his acting career on the “SmartLess” podcast —hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett — on Monday.

READ MORE: Keanu Reeves On His Toronto Upbringing: From Being A Leafs Fan To Getting Expelled From High School

Reeves eventually achieved great success, but his path had some rocky patches.

“I got my first car when I was 20, and I drove to Hollywood,” Reeves shared. “Of course, when I got here, they wanted to change my name.

“Yeah, they were like, Keanu, it’s too, uh, ethnic.”

Reeves claimed that after being advised to change his name, he took his annoyances to a beach in Santa Monica and came up with potential names for himself.

“I was like, ‘OK, well, what’s my name going to be?’ And I was like, ‘Templeton,'” he said.

He decided to go by the name “K.C Reeves,” taking the initials of his first and middle names.

“But then I had auditions and they’d be like, ‘K.C.,’ and I wouldn’t even look up,” the actor said.

The new moniker wound up being temporary, because Reeves ultimately decided against changing his name.

“Eventually, I went back to my agents and I was like, ‘I can’t change my name,'” Reeves explained.