John Wick: Chapter 4 has captured audiences' attention at the box office, grossing more than $431 million, before making a second splash on home release. The movie picks up months after the events of Parabellum as John Wick takes on the High Table directly. This puts his allies in danger when the High Table retaliates by sending the Marquis Vincent de Gramont to clean up the mess that has become John Wick. As the Marquis does whatever it takes to destroy the Baba Yaga and anyone who helped him, old friends become enemies, but John Wick makes his final stand to protect his friends and take the target off his back once and for all.
Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, and the late Lance Reddick once again reprise their roles in the latest John Wick adventure. Joining the John Wick family in John Wick: Chapter 4 is a star-studded cast including Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, and Clancy Brown. Director Chad Stahelski returns as director with a script penned by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch.
Related: How The John Wick Franchise's Action Evolves Over 4 Movies
In celebration of the digital release, Screen Rant spoke with Marko Zaror about playing Chidi in John Wick: Chapter 4. He breaks down Chidi's motivation and the evolution of his fighting style throughout the movie. Zaror also discusses working with both Stahelski and Reeves and the intricate stunt on the stairs.
Marko Zaror on John Wick: Chapter 4
Screen Rant: You are fantastic in this movie! The whole time was just enthralled. Were you a fan of the John Wick franchise before becoming a part of the movie?
Marko Zaror: I remember seeing the first one I went crazy! So yeah, I saw the John Wick movies and, of course, there was always the dream. It'd be a dream to be part of this and it happened!
What did you find most surprising going in, as someone who's a fan of the franchise, and then becoming a part of it?
Marko Zaror: Being able to work with Chad, with his team 87Eleven, see how they put together the action, and learn from them was amazing. To see them work and see how they approach the scenes. Then of course, sharing with Keanu and seeing him at the movies and then suddenly see the behind the scenes in person. It was pretty cool. This franchise is such a big step for the industry, I believe, in action and martial arts movie making. It's changing the game. It's literally redefining how you should approach an action film and that [is] thanks to Chad, and thanks to Keanu.
They've been doing this movie scene as number one and every time they've been stepping up and stepping up and stepping up and that's not an easy thing to do. And the fans love it, and they appreciate that. So I really believe that this has been an eye-opener for the industry to really give the space and the respect to the stunt community and to the specialist on how you should these type of movies. , So I'm really happy to be part of that.
I wholeheartedly agree. One of my favorite parts of John Wick is that every fight feels different, but it also feels character-driven and story-driven. What did you want to bring to the physicality and fighting style of Chidi to make him stand out from other John Wick antagonists?
Marko Zaror: When I read the script the character was not Latin. I wanted to bring that side of me and I'm happy that Chad really liked it. We tried a lot things, options, and we found the character on that first scene that we shot. It was actually the Osaka scene, the one in The Continental, that was my first scene. And that was great because that was the one that we were able to play, try options, and then discover the character and see him.
That character had to do with what place Chidi was [in]. It was very important to establish that this guy felt superior [to] all these assassins and I was a bit frustrated that the Marquis was not sending me to do the job. Why is he sending this blind guy? Why all this with this code of honor and blah blah blah? I didn't buy into all that. So, I had this level of anxiety towards the end of the movie. I want to prove [to] my boss that he was wrong. So at the beginning of my first fight scene actually in the hotel, you see me very confident because there I was the boss. I was the boss.
My fight scene there was very cool, relaxed and very kind of co*cky, easygoing. But then when the movie evolves, and I start feeling this frustration I wanted to bring more explosive movements and very aggressive [movements] that match with this anger and this anxiety of the character. So that's why it's very violent and quick combinations with fists and kicks and very explosive. I wanted to bring tha. So it came out pretty cool and I'm happy that, that they let me try [what] I'd proposed. That was very cool.
That's such a cool evolution in his style. That's so cool. What makes Chad stand out from other directors you've worked with in the past?
Marko Zaror: He's been in the whole journey. He's been hitting the ground. Doing the choreography, fighting, doing stunts, replacing the actors, telling the actors work to do to look better, and now he is with a camera with that vision to understand, "Okay, this fall, should feel like this." So he knows exactly where to put the camera to tell that story because he's been there. When you're seeing a scene, and then you see it in the playback, sometimes the position of the camera [or] the movement of the camera is not really communicating what is supposed to communicate. You need to be there.
You need to be a martial artists has been there. Fall and feel the pain to know, this needs to feel like this. So maybe just put the camera closer or move it from here to here. To be able to show and express that very honestly to the audience. You see how fans react to the fight scenes and to the actions because he's been there. He really pays a lot of attention and prioritizes the work with the cast. He understands that the better his cast performs, the better result we're going to get. [That] maybe sounds obvious, but it's not so obvious.
Now you can rely on VFX, you can rely on doubling the actors, but he [would] rather train that actor and understand, "Okay, what's his 200%? How much can I get from this guy on camera? And then he will play with that and he will use that as much as he can." That approach is what makes these movies feel so real. So that people connect with the characters when they're seeing the character movement fight and all that. I think he really takes the time so you can connect with the character. That's very cool.
What is it like working with Keanu as a scene partner, especially with some of those just bombastic action sequences?
Marko Zaror: He's a beast. He's an amazing screen fighter. H is timing, it's solid. I was challenging that timing because I wanted to do off time in bits and he was picking it up pretty good. At the beginning, I was going very easy. I didn't want to do a lot of contact because it was my first time working with him. We did the first take and then he looked at me as like, "Good, but you can give me some more." I was like, "Okay." So he likes to feel that, to put himself in that position and to feel, a little bit, the contact.
That's pretty cool because that's what you get on the screen. [You're] seeing the contact. It's happening. So he really feels comfortable with that and then you see him driving the car same thing. And then reloading and using the guns. It's just a master. He is like the real John Wick though. He's crazy. You're just sitting behind the scenes and you're looking at this and you're like, "Well, this is the movie right here. There's no after post or whatever." It's crazy.
One of the craziest scenes was the staircase fight and falling down the stairs. I don't know how you guys did that; I would just be in an ice bath if that was my day.
Marko Zaror: That was crazy. I didn't have to fall that much. The stunt team did an amazing job because that was lethal. What you are seeing in that movie that is really happening. Of course Keanu didn't do the fall on this on the stairs. Even if he wanted to, they would never let him because it was impossible. It was real concrete. Real fall. It was real gravity. It was crazy. How they shot it is beautiful to really showcase that is happening. They put the camera on a wire and they follow him all the way down. It was pretty cool.
I needed to [be] very focused to catch up because I'm running up behind him sliding on the side and all that. It was slippery and like concrete and not even it was like rocks. You can just twist an ankle, very [easily] and that sounds like it's not a big deal, but it actually is a big deal. You twist an ankle and then you're out. There was a lot of a lot of little challenges like that, that you've got to be very focused on doing that scene. Plus we're in nighttime shooting. So just to add a little thing. A little harder.
If you could explore more of Chidi maybe in a spin-off or a prequel what is one part of him that you would really want to dig into?
Marko Zaror: He's a pro. He really is passionate, he likes his work, and he wants to be the best. So I really would like that. I would like to see him going through that. Well now with what happened. We don't know what could happen in the future, but maybe something on the back. How much he worked to be the number one guy of the Marquis. Why me? I'm not the biggest. I'm not the tallest. But my fight skills and how sharp this character is got him there. So what he did to get there to be [in] that position and his training and focus. That would be a cool journey to know.
What did Chidi think of John Wick and the people that helped him? I'm curious what was his perspective on John Wick given he's this legendary person within this world.
Marko Zaror: Yeah, that's what I didn't buy into it. I feel my training, my dedication, and being where I am. So I didn't buy [into] this honor on this legendary thing. No no no. I'm better and I'm here to prove it. This is my last step to prove it. I need to take care of John Wick and if I do this, then I'm going to be the man. So that's why all the other characters for me, were just more of the same thing. I didn't buy into this. I'm the best and I was the best until [it] just took me a little longer. I would train a little more speed on the trigger because if I would've [been] a little faster I would have killed him a couple of times.
One of the things that's so cool about this is seeing Chidi as the number two for the Marquis. What do you think about how he compares to other right-hand men within the John Wick universe?
Marko Zaror: That's the code of honor. That was my whole thing and that's why I wanted to explore. I worked so hard to be there this was my opportunity to really prove that I was the one and that he can rely on me. That's why I had the army and I'm in charge of all the security. So yes, it's like that code of honor is there even though I got this little thing on me that I'm a little playful because I like to shove it in your face. Look, I'm better than you. Don't mess up with me because it's not going to end up good for you. So I love that that dynamic of being very nice and so nice that at the end you were like not too nice.
And then when you are crafting his backstory to really have a deep understanding did you figure out, at least for yourself, what had drawn him to the Marquis in the first place?
Marko Zaror: No, I didn't [go] that far in. Why I ended up working with the Marquis, but the way that I see I go to the same thing. In this world I want to prove [to] everybody that I'm the best. Because at the end it's not that I didn't like the assassins thing. I kind of wanted to be an assassin star like these guys, but in order to do that, I need to escalate. I need to be at the top of what I could be to prove this. If I kill John Wick, if I kill all these other guys, I take care of business. Then guess what? There's going to be story about me.
So people [are] going to know who I am. So maybe then I can start taking contracts. So it's part of how I become popular and put myself in the right places to be known in this world. So then they can go, "Oh, you know what this guy, Look what he's done" you know. That was my whole journey to it. So eventually, I wanted to get my own contracts. But first I needed to take care of this business that, unfortunately, I fail. That was my opportunity.
That's why I was very excited when I grabbed him and I throw him to the stairs. I was enjoying that moment because this was the moment for me to shine and to make sure everybody knows my name after this. They're gonna go, "Oh, you know what? This Chidi guys pretty [good]. Let's consider him."
Are there any other characters or corners of the John Wick universe that you didn't get a chance to play in but you really would have liked to?
Marko Zaror: it? No, not really. When I got this offer for me, it was a big surprise. Of course you have the dream, I would love to be in a John Wick movie. But it was never that close or real to even think "Oh, it could be this or that." It was more me a fan going to watch a movie and then suddenly walking out of the theater like, "Oh my god, these movies." It's so cool just to be part of this.
What is something you learned from your time working on John Wick 4 that you want to take into for future projects?
Marko Zaror: I really connect with the team, with Chad, and with Keanu's energy about being a fan and never stop being a fan. The passion, how they enjoy making movies. You see them [it's] like two kids having fun, but it just happens that these two kids are the best at what they do. But you feel this kid spirit and [that's] kind of the way I feel when I make a movie.
I am so thankful to be there working and doing what I love to do. So I take home that no matter how high you can get. Keanu and Chad are in the top of the game and up there they still feel the same way that I feel now, like a kid having fun and making a movie. This is what I take. This should always be a part of my journey.
About John Wick: Chapter 4
Following the events of Parabellum, John Wick has found a new path to defeating the High Table and is taking the fight to them. But before he can try to earn his freedom, a powerful new enemy will turn even more people against Wick, including one of his oldest and most dangerous friends.
Check out our other John Wick: Chapter 4 interviews:
- Keanu Reeves
- Laurence Fishburne
- Chad Stahelski
- Scott Adkins
- Natalia Tena
John Wick: Chapter 4 is on Digital now. It will be available on 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, & On Demand on June 13 from Lionsgate.
