How does Keanu Reeves, the "nicest man in Hollywood," become John Wick, one of the most lethal of assassins? Brut asked him.
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00:00putting on a suit, put it on, you know, you get to see it move, you know, the energy action.
00:06How did you create the character of John Wick?
00:10Yeah, it started with the first film, you know, where we met just a man, but a man who's grieving
00:17the loss of his wife. And so what does that feel like emotionally? And, you know, that,
00:25I don't know, that weight. And yeah, and then there was also the idea of like him putting on
00:36the suit, you know, so putting on a suit, which was kind of his armor, that he has an ambivalent
00:42relationship with, you know, he was trying to get out of it. And now it's back. So there's that kind
00:48of thing. And then once John Wick, the assassin, someone that's from his past, in a way,
00:55gets unleashed, you know, the energy of that character, the desperation of that character,
01:00who's fighting for his life, fighting for his personal freedom, you know, peace,
01:05all of those things kind of come into play in the physicality. And I find him very thoughtful,
01:15you know, just say what you mean, mean what you say. And he has a good sense of humor, too.
01:21Absolutely. And for you, so you talked about putting on the suit, right? And the haircut.
01:27How does all of that help you get into the character?
01:30Yeah, for me, I share that experience, you know, seeing the suit, putting on the suit,
01:37putting on his shoes. For me, too, putting on the watch means something. And before I lost my
01:43finger, I lost my ring, putting on the ring. I guess it sets you, it sets you, right? It sets
01:52somehow your body, your internal positioning. You know, it kind of brings it back. It's like a
02:02kind of emotional, mechanical mnemonic. You know, you put it on and there you are,
02:08you know, if you're doing a weapon or anything like that. And with the hair, yeah, I don't know,
02:16it's the shape of it. I don't know. And Chad likes it because it moves a lot in space, you know,
02:23like so during the action, it helps kind of with motion. You know, you get to see it move and it
02:29adds to the intensity, I guess, you know. So you're known today for so many roles in
02:37action films. But before that, you had several roles in independent cinema. My Own Private Idaho,
02:42for example. Do you prepare for an action role in the same way that you do an indie role
02:47that could be seen as a little bit more cerebral or internal in the mind?
02:54What's the difference in how you prepare?
02:56I would say action films are additive in the sense that there's action,
03:00you know. And other than that, I mean, I've also been continuing to work in independent cinema,
03:07you know, Nicholas Refn and Neon Demon and Anna Lily Amarpour and Bad Batch and, you know,
03:20Always Be My Maybe. So I love working in independent films. And I think John Wick,
03:24I still feel, is like an independent role. Our spirit of it.
03:30But do you feel like the preparation is different in any way?
03:33In terms of characterization, no. No, that's not. Really, in the action is really you're
03:39just getting, it's additive again, where you're getting to express in movement, you know.
03:46You know, what does Harrison Ford call it? Physical acting. You know, and for me,
03:50with Chad Stahelski and the John Wick series, I get to show character in the action, you know,
03:55his desperation, his will. So that is also part of the same as, you know, in a way,
04:06how do you enter a room? How do you move? What's your, how's your character move, you know?