Keanu Reeves, actor of The Matrix Resurrections, has drawn the anger of Chinese nationalists after it was disclosed earlier this week that he will be playing at a Tibet benefit event. Keanu Reeves will be one of the headliners at the 35th annual Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert on March 3, with Patti Smith, Trey Anastasio, and Jason Isbell, it was announced this week. The concert’s creative director is legendary composer Philip Glass.
Some Chinese social media users, dubbed “little pinks” in the country, have suggested that Reeves’ new film The Matrix Resurrections be boycotted in reprisal. The latest Matrix film had already flopped in China prior to the revelations about Reeves’ involvement in the pro-Tibet event, according to The Hollywood Reporter — the film opened to just $7.5 million and has earned $12.4 million to date — so the sudden outrage is unlikely to make much of a difference to the Warner Bros. title’s bottom line.
After previously expressing support for Tibet, several Western celebrities have had their personal brands frozen out of China’s vast entertainment sector.
For years, Richard Gere has been barred from Chinese television screens due to his outspoken support for Tibet. After acting in the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet, Brad Pitt was likewise banned for nearly two decades. Since her meeting with the Dalai Lama in 2016, Lady Gaga has been virtually barred from playing in the nation.
Tibet House, a New York-based educational charity dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture, was founded in 1987. The organisation was founded by Dalai Lama followers, as well as Beijing officials have called this a separatist movement striving for Tibetan independence. China considers Tibet’s culturally distinct area to be an integral part of it’s own national territory, as well as any idea of Tibetan independence is viewed as a threat.
On December 22, 2021, The Matrix Resurrections was launched in India.
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