Keanu Reeves promotes his new Book in London, Jun 18

Actor Keanu Reeves has penned an over-the-top anti-self-help book as part of a joke about his gloomy reputation.

Reeves has overcome a series of great personal tragedies, including losing his longtime girlfriend in a vehicular accident, prompting the media to label the star as a sad and lonely actor.

The Matrix hunk decided to poke fun at his image by writing a dramatic, but funny tome, called Ode to Happiness, which features a variety of depressing images and phrases.

He tells PerezHilton.com, "I was in my kitchen hanging out with my friend, and the radio was on - and this station was playing, like, an orgy of depressing, self-pitying, nostalgic music.

"It was so voluptuously horrible and I just started to write on this piece of paper, because I had this image of, you know, the moment when you take a bath, you light that candle, and you’re really just kind of depressed. And it was making her laugh so hard, I just kept going, piling on the self-pity."