Will Reeve knows the public is intrigued by how similar he looks to his movie star father, and he sees it as a compliment.
ABC News reporter who recently became the youngest child Superman actor and activist Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve described the physical similarities between himself and his father Friday night at a “Home with Reeve” benefit for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, where Will is a board member.
As Will, 31, explains, he’s “so lucky to have the life I have.”
“And I think if the public can get some interest in, ‘Oh, he looks like his famous dad,’ that’s great,” Reeve told PEOPLE. “This means they talk about my family in a positive way and remember our father, mother, and family in a way that honors them.”
“I always take that as a compliment,” he shares. “I think I had two beautiful parents inside and out, and if I bear any resemblance to them physically, temperamentally, or in terms of my values, I take that as a compliment any day.”
Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty
Now in its third decade, the annual premiere of “A Night with Reeve” was held at The Glasshouse in New York City for a “reimagined” event. Will and his sister, Alexandra Reeve Givens, poked PEOPLE about how Team Reeve aims to raise money for the foundation at Sunday’s New York Marathon and what Will sees as his own superpower this weekend: “The ability to connect with people” .”
“I love people, I love it as it relates to the Reeve Foundation and the community we’re so focused on building. Nothing makes me happier or prouder than having people who otherwise don’t know each other or know about us or us. Because you come together and you leave with something meaningful,” she says. Will.
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According to the foundation’s website, its mission is to advance research and improve the quality of life for those affected by spinal cord injuries.
“And I pride myself on bringing people into our community,” explains Will. “As I always say, once you join, you get involved, and my goal is to continue to grow this community by connecting people and making sure that, yes, everyone has a good time at an event like this, enjoys the marathon experience. Whether they’re running for us or cheering for us, but having a good time “What’s broader and more important than spending time is making a deep connection with something that’s important to our community so it can grow.”
Will has previously spoken fondly of his father, who died in 2004, nine years after a riding injury left him paralyzed from the neck down and two years before his mother Dana died of lung cancer. In honor of Father’s Day in 2021, Will wrote a touching tribute to Christopher and shared it with everyone. Good morning America.
“I am now 29 years old and I am finally beginning to understand what it truly means to honor my father,” he wrote at the time. “I thought that meant I either followed the paths he wanted me to take, or lived my life as his surrogate, making up for lost time on his thwarted dreams.”
“It seems our parents are We You are and be so. This is the ultimate form of honor.”