veteran actor Keanu Reeves made pop star Rina Sawayama was well looked after with her involvement in the upcoming sequel, John Wick: Chapter 4. While this will be Reeves’ fourth appearance as the titular vigilante, Sawayama makes her introduction to the franchise with what will also be her debut role for a feature film. She is best known for her accolades in music, including this month’s release of her second studio album, hold the girl.
In a new interview with Variety, Sawayama spoke out about her transition into movies. She admits she found it a little awkward to work on John Wick 4 because she still doesn’t like seeing herself on screen, and it even got to the point of “panicing” on set.
“I really like the process of doing something I’ve never done – learning to read scripts and get into a character. But I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to seeing myself on screen like that, to to be honest – it’s a very different vibe than “I have to look good in my music video. The camera gets so close you can see your heartbeat, it’s insanely close. I watched a preview and I was shocked because it’s so was damn weird.’
This doesn’t mean her experience working on the sequel was bad. In fact, she credits Reeves for taking care of her and making the shoot much easier. Sawayama is also honored that Reeves had a say in her casting, which is another thing she’s still trying to wrap her brain around.
“But Keanu was amazing, and just the way you think he would be, so chill. But he took care of me in a lot of different ways, very much behind the scenes – he didn’t tell me he was doing anything for me, but definitely made That it was done. Even though he’s one of the executive producers means he had a hand in casting me, so that was really crazy to understand.”
Rina Sawayama Says Keanu Reeves Is Very Sober
In an earlier interview with Subway, Sawayama had also praised Reeves for his positive attitude and felt like a family member by the end of the shoot. She also can’t forget one memory she has of training with Reeves for the movie and sharing a moment of levity.
“Keanu has such an ordinariness about him – he’s really down to earth, he’s someone so chill and nice – just great to hang out with as if he were a family member. My favorite memory is watching him while we’re both at it working out were in the same gym and like, “F**k!” That was one of my favorites – [training] was just so cheeky! I loved sharing that moment with him – we were both like, “This is terrible.” But I can’t compare it to what he’s done – he’s in the whole movie and I’m in part of the movie. I don’t know how he does it – he does all his own stunts!”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. Along with Reeves and Sawayama, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Clancy Brown, Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada and Ian McShane star. It will be released in theaters on March 24, 2023.