Mark Dacascos Started Shooting John Wick: Chapter 3 Just Days After Getting The Offer
As hard as he tries to leave this life behind him, John Wick just can't catch a break. You go on one rampage to avenge your dead puppy and the next thing you know, your face lights up on every assassin's wishlist. Given that he's made it all the way to" John Wick: Chapter 4," it's going to take a lot for someone to take Wick down. Michael Nyqvist, Riccardo Scamarcio, Common, Ruby Rose, and Asia Kate Dillon have all made some fun adversaries to Baba Yaga. But then we have Mark Dacascos as Zero, who really switches things up.
Most of Wick's enemies go after him because a sacred rule has been broken or it's just business, but Dacascos' Zero takes a different approach. In "John Wick: Chapter 3," after the hit order is put out for Wick, the Adjudicator (Dillon) recruits the hitman and his crew to put an end to him. But what makes Zero really interesting is that he's as deadly as he is a dork. He can't help but become a doting fanboy every time he's in the presence of his hero.
As a trained martial artist himselftrain, Dacascos only had nothing but great things to say about Keanu Reeves' form during the fight scenes (via Zavvi):
"He's so humble, hard-working, and athletic. Fortunately for me my stunt double took the hard hits, but Keanu and I did 95 percent of the fighting. And when he grabbed me for the throws I had bruises on my arms for a couple days after, and I wish they had been permanent as I was so proud of it."
In addition to being just as in awe as his character is, Dacascos was also racing against the clock just to get started.
Dacascos didn't waste any time
It's difficult enough wrangling all of your departments once production is underway, but it can be even more complicated when you're still adding folks to the cast. Filming started at the top of May 2018, and Mark Dacascos joined the cast about a week or so later, which made him hustle in order to be camera ready. Here's how he explained it to Zavvi:
"I didn't have long to prepare. Chad [Stahelski, director] texted me on Sunday, we talked on Monday, I was on a flight that night, shaved my hair on Wednesday and we started shooting on Thursday. So in that respect, it was the most challenging movie I have done."
It seems rather fitting given how we're introduced to his character. You may recognize the "Brotherhood of the Wolf" star as The Chairman from over two decades worth of the reality cooking show "Iron Chef America." In "John Wick: Chapter 3," Zero is ironically recruited while cooking sushi at his own little New York establishment as a last-minute favor.
I have to imagine the assassins in the "John Wick" universe are so prepared for what may come their way, that they're able to pack up and go whenever they need to. But acting is a whole other ball game. In spite of the eleventh-hour addition, it sounds like Dacascos was up for the challenge. He was in front of a camera in less than a week, and the performance of a killer fanboy speaks for itself.
"John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum" is currently streaming on Peacock, and "John Wick: Chapter 4" is due in theaters on March 24, 2023.