Keanu Reeves opens up about being fired from early CBC role
- By Asim Mallick -
- May 10, 2026
Keanu Reeves has reflected on one of his earliest television jobs, revealing that his time as a youth correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) came to an unexpectedly early end, long before he would go on to become one of Hollywood’s most recognisable stars.
Before his breakout in films like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and later global franchises such as The Matrix and John Wick, Keanu Reeves was part of a CBC youth programme called Going Great, where he travelled around speaking with young people doing unusual or inspiring things.
It was a modest role at the time, more curious than career-defining, but one that now sits as a footnote in his much larger journey through Hollywood.
In various clips from the programme, Keanu Reeves can be seen stepping into situations far removed from the action-heavy world he would later dominate.
He attempts juggling after meeting a teenage performer, a moment that quickly shows just how unpredictable live reporting can be. In another segment, he visits a teenage equestrian who had started her own riding school, even taking part in the experience himself, awkwardly but enthusiastically trying to keep up.
One of the more unusual stops in that early reporting work saw Keanu Reeves attending a teddy bear convention, where his naturally playful side briefly came through on camera.
After speaking with a young collector, he ended up interacting with a large teddy bear in a comedic moment that leaned more into physical humour than journalism, something that now feels almost surreal when placed against his later, more serious on-screen persona.
Speaking years later during a late-night television appearance, Keanu Reeves confirmed that the job was part of his early career experiments, describing it as a travelling reporting role that involved meeting people across different communities. He noted that the experience itself was enjoyable, even if it did not last long.
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According to Keanu Reeves, the stint on Going Great only lasted about a year before it came to an end, with the actor acknowledging that the role eventually wrapped up without continuation.
It remains one of the lesser-known chapters in the early career of Keanu Reeves, long before he transitioned fully into acting and eventually built the international film career he is known for today.