Keanu Reeves’ Movies Removed From Chinese Platforms Due to his Support for Tibet
Fans of Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves in China may no longer be able to watch his films. Most of Reeves’ movies have been removed from Chinese streaming platforms including The Matrix series. The latest development comes after Reeves was announced as a performer for the 35th annual Tibet House Benefit Concert in January. According to the Los Angeles Times, the development emerged just after the Canadian actor’s latest film The Matrix: Resurrections became the first blockbuster to hit Chinese theaters in over two months. The movie had ended a prolonged dearth of censorship approvals on the US titles in a year of rising geopolitical tensions and further cooling of relations with Hollywood.
However, in January this year, Reeves participated in the Tibet benefit alongside other notable Hollywood celebrities including Laurie Anderson, Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper and Iggy Pop. The event took place virtually for the second year in a row earlier this month.
China has been quite adamant about its claims on Tibet and often reacts sharply when international public figures, companies of countries express their support to the independence of the northern Himalayan plateau. Chinese forces had captured Tibet in 1949 which left many people including leader of the Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, seeking refuge in India. Ever since it captured Tibet, China has claimed the territory as its own.
So when Reeves expressed his support for Tibet independence earlier this year, Chinese nationalists took to social media in protest of the actor. China’s anger towards Reeves became more concrete this month after major streamers in the Asian country removed the majority of his filmography from their sites and even wiped search results related to his name in Chinese.
The Los Angeles Times reported that “Sorry, no results related to ‘Keanu Reeves’ were found” cropped up on the platform iQiyi with this added text, “Due to relevant laws, regulations and policies, some results are not shown.”
The report also added that animated movies like Toy Story 4, which features Reeves as the voice of stuntman Duke Caboom, remain online; its credits are unusual. The credits appear in English except for the voice cast, which switches over to Chinese and lists only the local dubbing cast, avoiding any mention of the actor who has flared the tempers of the country.
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