Ahead of the launch of John Wick 4, Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski reveal what viewers can look forward to in the new film.
From March 23, superstar Keanu Reeves (58) can be seen again in one of his most famous roles on the big screen: In what is now the fourth “John Wick” film, Reeves embodies the almost invincible assassin from the title – and lies down in Japan, Berlin and Paris with a new squad of extremely dangerous opponents.
In an interview with the news agency spot on news, franchise star Reeves and director Chad Stahelski (54), who directed all four “John Wick” films, revealed what the most challenging scenes were when shooting, which of the new actors they particularly appreciate, and how the bouncer at Berlin’s famous Berghain found his way into ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’.
Mr. Reeves, what is it that particularly draws you to the character of John Wick? Do you also identify in some ways with the character, who is actually a killer and kills numerous people?
Keanu Reeves: I love the character John Wick – and part of that is just his heart, his love, his relationship with his wife and his honor. In addition, his sorrow and his will. He tries to free himself. I like these topics and emotions.
Let’s talk a little about the dazzling characters that are new in the fourth part…
Reeves: This time we’re showing more members of the Upper Chamber. Bill Skarsgård plays the Marquis, a sort of sheriff who is very ambitious and feels he can rise in the world of the High Chamber by killing John Wick. It also features Donnie Yen, who plays a character named Caine. He has tried to protect his family in the past, but also owes a debt to the High Chamber. He’s trying to kill John Wick. And a few more new characters, such as Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel.
Mr. Stahelski, you yourself described the “John Wick” series as “Neon Noir” with an “n” at the end. What do you mean by that?
Chad Stahelski: As you can see for yourself, we love the color black. We also love our dark themes and edgy characters. Together with my cameraman Dan Laustsen, I’m trying to give the “John Wick” films a slightly different look. Lots of green, blue, purple…
Reeves: Neon, hyper-reality.
Stahelski: Yes, the hyper-reality of John Wick’s mythology.
Sven Marquardt, the famous bouncer at the equally famous Berlin techno club Berghain, also has a brief cameo appearance in the fourth ‘John Wick’ film. How did that come about, and were you in Berghain during the shooting in Berlin?
Stahelski: Not during this shooting. Many years ago when I was stunt coordinator on “V for Vendetta” we were lucky enough to be at Berghain and experienced everything there. And I remembered seeing Sven – we didn’t actually meet him, but saw him.
And then for “John Wick: Chapter 4” we were in the process of casting this character who belongs to the Ruska Roma. The character was intended to be John’s guide into the world of Killa, played by Scott Adkins. So I remembered Sven’s interesting look, we contacted him and asked him if he would like to play this role and he was kind enough to say yes.
Mr. Reeves, in a fantastic scene at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, you fight amidst speeding cars around you. Was that scene particularly challenging to shoot?
Reeves: In this sequence, cars go around me in both directions. So we had professional drivers who had to be really careful. Because if someone fell or otherwise crossed the safety lines, there were very real consequences.
Also, many stunt performers get hit and hit by cars. So you had people flying off cars, or wired to cars. It was all really ambitious. Of all the set pieces in the new film, this scene was probably the most dangerous… very, very intense.
In “John Wick: Chapter 4” viewers also meet a new dog, a cute little killer. Were there real dogs on the set, or does the four-legged friend come from the computer?
Stahelski: There were five Belgian Shepherds on set, I think three females and two males, all playing the same tracker dog. Our dog trainer is really good. One of my favorite shots is when the dog kills an opponent and then pees on their head. It took quite a while to train the bitch on it. The setting is of course composite. First the bitch starts to really do this, then we threw actor Marko Zaror in the face of Gatorade. Since the character was dead by then, he had to lie there and not blink while he was doing it. That was a bit difficult.
With Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins, two big action stars make their debut in the “John Wick” series. Is this your first time working with Yen?
Stahelski: For the first time, yes. We’re both huge fans of his and he just seemed to fit into the world of John Wick. Obviously, he’s incredibly good at martial arts choreography, and he also puts a lot of character in his action scenes.
We’ve wanted Scott Adkins for a John Wick movie for a while, but we just haven’t gotten the timing. We are big fans of the movie “Kill Zone SPL” starring martial arts legend Sammo Hung. That’s why we put Scott in this special fat suit. I think it’s always very impressive when a big man moves so well.
Reeves: But you designed the fat suit so that Scott could still do the action.
Stahelski: Yes, they made this very special suit so that he could still move and do what Scott is doing. He’s a phenomenal athlete.