In early 2020, Keanu Reeves was in New York City, taking a break from filming John Wick: Chapter 4. After a long day, he stopped by a small diner near his hotel to grab a late-night coffee. Unbeknownst to him, as he paid the bill and left, his wallet slipped out of his pocket and fell under the table. The diner was nearly empty, and the night shift janitor, a 52-year-old man named Marcus Evans, was cleaning up after closing. Marcus, a single father of two who had been working multiple jobs to support his family, spotted the wallet while sweeping the floor. Inside, he found Keanu’s ID, a few hundred dollars in cash, and a photo of Keanu with his late sister, Kim, who had passed away after a long battle with leukemia.
Marcus recognized the name immediately—Keanu Reeves, the Hollywood star known for his kindness. Instead of keeping the cash or the wallet, Marcus tracked down the hotel where Keanu was staying, which was listed on a receipt in the wallet, and walked over in the cold night to return it. When he arrived, Keanu was in the lobby, speaking with a crew member. Marcus approached hesitantly, holding the wallet out. “Mr. Reeves, I think this belongs to you. I found it at the diner,” he said, his voice shaking from nerves.
Keanu’s face lit up with gratitude. “Wow, thank you so much, man. I didn’t even realize I’d lost it,” he said, taking the wallet and immediately noticing nothing was missing—not even the cash. He looked at Marcus, who was wearing a worn-out jacket and looked exhausted, and asked, “What’s your name? You didn’t have to do this. Most people wouldn’t have.” Marcus introduced himself, explaining he was a janitor at the diner and couldn’t imagine keeping something that didn’t belong to him.
What happened next was beyond Marcus’s wildest dreams. Keanu, touched by his honesty, sat down with him in the hotel lobby and asked about his life. Marcus shared that he’d been struggling to pay rent and support his two daughters, one of whom was hoping to attend community college but couldn’t afford the tuition. Keanu listened quietly, then pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. He wrote a check for $15,000 and handed it to Marcus, saying, “This is for your daughter’s education. And for you—don’t stop being the good man you are.”
But Keanu didn’t stop there. He learned that Marcus had always dreamed of opening a small cleaning business to provide better for his family. A week later, Marcus received a call from Keanu’s assistant, who informed him that Keanu had arranged for a local business mentor to help Marcus set up his own cleaning company, even covering the startup costs. Within months, Marcus’s business was up and running, and he was able to quit his late-night shifts at the diner. The story eventually spread when Marcus shared it on social media, thanking Keanu for changing his life. Fans were moved to tears, once again reminded of Keanu’s incredible generosity and humility.
