Celebrities Who Are Surprisingly Nice
It Nice to be Important, But More Important to be Nice
Rarely a day goes by that you don't hear about some glitzy Hollywood starlet or superstar athlete revealing a very rude and uncivil side of their nature. Frankly speaking, a lot of today's celebrities are just plain mean, as evidenced by Celebrities Who Are Mean or Rude. (You might also be interested in - and surprised by - Celebrities with High IQs.)
On the flip side, however, there are a lot of famous people who are surprisingly nice. These are people who seem to appreciate the rare position that life has put them in, and they are unbelievably kind to other people as well as generous.
Keanu Reeves
The Matrix star has got to be not only the nicest guy in Hollywood, but just about the nicest guy on the planet. Stories of his thoughtfulness and generosity abound.
For instance, he bought the entire stunt team for one of his Matrix movies new Harley motorcycles.
When negotiating his back-end deal for the Matrix sequels, he assigned a portion of his profits to the costume design and special effects teams. (The amount they ultimately received has been reported to be as large as $75 million.)
He gave $20,000 to a builder of movie sets on one of his films because he heard the man was having financial problems.
And in case you're thinking his kindness is limited to those he works with, a woman having car trouble was pleasantly surprised when a car pulled over to see if she needed help. When the driver got out, it was Keanu. When he couldn't get her car to start, he called a tow truck for her and then gave her a ride home - even though it was 50 miles out of his way.
In short, we'd live in a wonderful world if everybody had it in them to act like Keanu Reeves.
(poster available at AllPosters.com.)
Will Smith
Not only is he one of the biggest stars on the planet, Will smith is also one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet - despite reportedly pimp-slapping a reporter at the Moscow premiere of Men in Black 3.
He is well-regarded among fans for his friendly attitude, bubbly demeanor and simply being personable and approachable. In addition, he and is wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, have donated millions of dollars to various charities over the years.
(For the record, the slapping incident was clearly overblown. For one thing, the guy tried to kiss him on the mouth, so Will's reaction was understandable. But to be fair, it was barely a tap on the jaw, and nowhere near what a reasonable person would call a slap.)
(Poster available at AllPosters.com.)
Johnny Depp
With his talent, Johnny Depp could almost be forgiven if he were a pompous jerk who considered himself better than everyone else. And yet, that is the total opposite of his personality.
He is a perennial presence in the Top 10 of Autograph magazine's annual list of top signers. (He's even alleged to have signed an autograph while sitting in his car at a stop sign!)
He's been known to make surprise visits at hospitals and schools in his Jack Sparrow persona. On another occasion, he made good on a promise to give a young fan his hat from the film Public Enemies. Not only did the fan receive the hat, but also some other meorabilia and a handwritten note from Depp himself.
Finally, he makes generous donations to various charities. Plainly speaking, he's an all-around nice guy who is very deserving of the success he's achieved.
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Summary of Nice Celebrities
Needless to say, there are many more celebrities who are known to be nice people and just all-around decent human beings. This list includes, but is not limited to, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman, Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Muhammad Ali and many, many more.
I can't speak for anyone else, but it's somehow comforting to know that, despite fame and wealth, there are still people out there who realize how important it is to be thoughtful and considerate to other people.