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As per recent reports from The Los Angeles Times and Reuters, Keanu Reeves' movies are removed from Chinese video streaming sites. After his support for a charity-based concert in Tibet, numerous films of the 57-year-old actor have been removed from sites like Tencent Video and iQiyi.
Reuters reported that multiple franchises of the actor had been removed from the streaming platforms. These films included Speed, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Matrix series, and the John Wick franchise. Meanwhile, on Thursday, The Los Angeles Times stated that at least 19 of Keanu Reeves' movies had been removed.
As of now, it is not confirmed if the decision to remove Keanu Reeves' movies from the platform was made under the Chinese government's orders. Furthermore, Tencent Video and iQiyi are yet to publicly address the removal of the films, leaving things up to speculation.
How did the controversy between Keanu Reeves and China start?
In January, the Canadian star received a lot of flak from Chinese nationalists after he agreed to participate in the 35th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert on March 3.
The concert was organized by the Tibet House US, which had been founded at the request of the 14th Dalai Lama, who has a controversial and conflicting relationship with the officially atheist Chinese government. This caused many nationalists to demand a ban on Reeves' film The Matrix Resurrections at the time of its release in China.
For years, the Chinese government has criticized the Dalai Lama for campaigning for Tibet's self-rule against China's governance.
Owing to his popularity in Tibet as a beloved religious figure, a certain portion of the masses have been still vying for autonomy for the country, out of China's involvement. This has drawn a lot of flak from the Chinese government's sympathizers against the revered Dalai Lama.
China's reaction to supporting Tibet
Keanu Reeves is the latest Hollywood star to face criticism from China. Previously, the country had banned several actors and musicians for their comments on the East Asian nation. Notably, Richard Gere had faced the same controversy when he protested against China's subjugation of Tibet.
At the 1993 Oscars red carpet event, Gere called China's actions "horrendous, horrendous human rights situation." This has resulted in a lifetime ban of Gere's movies from premiering in China.
Similarly, in 1997, Brad Pitt faced a ban of almost 20 years after he starred in Seven Years in Tibet. At the same time, artists like Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga were banned from meeting with the Dalai Lama in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
However, Reeves could possibly face a more lenient ban as his lineage also includes roots in China, owing to his Chinese Hawaiian paternal grandmother.
