After Keanu Reeves established himself on-screen as an epic actor and lover of dogs, fans are now gutted that he's started working with NFTs.
Those with little to no knowledge of NFTs may have previously found solace in Reeves as a celebrity, considering him a safe space free of the confusing lingo surrounding these tokens that are non-fungible.
The actor previously portrayed himself as someone who wasn't all that invested in the technology as he described them as things that are 'easily reproduced' when he learned more than 300,000 people joined a virtual queue to try and get in on Matrix Resurrections NFTs.
Hear Reeves share his previous thoughts on NFTs below:
Keanu Reeves doesn’t get the NFT hype either. Watch our full interview here: https://t.co/ea0NInhtBO pic.twitter.com/UuUNFMtfmf
— The Verge (@verge) December 11, 2021
Reeves' earlier comments aren't exactly the best advert for NFTs, but now it seems the actor has become more educated on the matter as he has become an adviser for The Futureverse Foundation, a charitable initiative designed to encourage artists to participate in NFTs.
The organisation urges creators to come up with work that can be contemplated and sold in the metaverse, and is committed to funding those who can create art which can be transformed into the assets.
In a statement commenting on his new role, per The Hollywood Reporter, Reeves said: "I am honoured to be joining Non-Fungible Labs’ efforts in cooperation with Alexandra Grant for the extraordinary program and opportunity of the Futureverse Foundation, in support of artists and creators globally."
Though the actor appears satisfied to be playing a part in the growth of NFTs, fans aren't so excited about the venture.
One critic commented: "You think life has meaning you try to find beauty in everything and one day you wake up to find out Keanu Reeves is releasing NFTs".
Another wrote: "Not Keanu Reeves doing NFTs. He was supposed to be the chosen one."
Many fans have called back to Reeves' earlier criticism of NFTs, with some suggesting he may have changed his mind with influence from Grant, who is his girlfriend.
Not Keanu Reeves doing nfts
— grey🔥son • training arc hiatus (@GR3Y_arts) June 22, 2022
he was supposed to be the chosen one
Grant, who is also an adviser for the Futureverse Foundation, described the organisation as an opportunity to build 'a new economy of [cultural] exchange'.
"It’s new for all of us to be thinking about the partnerships between the art world, Hollywood and tech coming together in this really beautiful way... This is the beginning, it’s a nascent moment for a technological shift where some people understand that they’re already in the metaverse, and some people don’t know what an NFT is," she continued.
The Futureverse Foundation is set to select which artists it will support based on the quality of the work, with special attention paid to Indigenous and women artists in an effort to diversify the art world.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
