John Wick 4's VFX Supervisor Thought Keanu Reeves Was Going To Die On Set
Keanu Reeves is a beast. There's no other way to say it. At the age of 58, Reeves is still taking on hordes of bad guys in the "John Wick" franchise. While it's all expertly coordinated down to every single punch, kick, and gunshot, the actor still needs the energy to tackle take after take of exquisitely choreographed action. Even if the "Matrix" star isn't taking on death-defying stunts like Tom Cruise in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, what Reeves does is still thoroughly exhausting. Reeves is pushing himself to the max, so much that even experienced crew members like on-set VFX supervisor Johnathan Rothbart worried about the actor's well-being while in production on "John Wick: Chapter 4."
In an interview on CG Garage Podcast, Jonathan Rothbart appeared alongside production VFX supervisor Janelle Croshaw Ralla to talk about the process of working with director Chad Stahelski on John Wick's final outing (for now). "John Wick: Chapter 4" was actually Rothbart's first time being part of the franchise, and he admittedly wasn't prepared for the experience. He recalled:
"It was pretty crazy, because I it was the first time I had shot on a 'John Wick' film, and I wasn't prepared for how intense the action fighting is, especially for Keanu, because he does all of his fighting."
'That first day, I just wasn't sure Keanu was going to make it'
Rothbart recalled the first time that he saw Keanu Reeves in action:
"I just remember, the first beat he does goes on forever. He just keeps fighting and fighting and fighting, they keep bringing in more guys, more fighting moves, and it was just insanity. He would finish, and as soon as Chad would call cut, I thought Keanu was gonna die. He was working so hard, and he would just go back over to his seat and just sit there and stare at the ground and be sweating and just panting. Then we'd change a few things, fix a few things, and Chad would say, 'Back at it,' and he would just get up and go again. That first day, I just wasn't sure Keanu was going to make it. It would just look so hard, but that guy's an animal, he really is. It was pretty amazing."
After the first "John Wick" became a hit, there was a lot of anticipation for "John Wick: Chapter 2." That's why Taran Tactical, an expert in movie firearms, posted a video on their YouTube channel that showed Keanu Reeves training with some of the weaponry he would be wielding in the movie. Check it out:
This is just a taste of what Reeves executed himself on the set of every single "John Wick" movie, and it's exhausting to watch. As any fan of the franchise will tell you, the combat and gunfight sequences only got more wild and intense as the movies continued. So by the time we've reached "John Wick: Chapter 4," there are more bad guys than ever, and Reeves was still venturing into new weapon territory, including mastering the nunchucks.
'Keanu does all of his fighting, so there is no real second unit'
Rothbart actually spent a lot more time watching Keanu Reeves in action than he otherwise would see from any other lead actor on other blockbuster action projects. Why? Since Keanu Reeves does pretty much all of his own fighting, they're almost always shooting with the first unit crew. Rothbart explained:
"Keanu does all of his fighting, so there is no real second unit. There's no doubles or anything like that for the most part. They did some stunts, but Keanu did all of his own driving too. So you don't have a second unit for that either. We had a brief five-day second unit shoot, and that was it."
Typically, on a major production like "John Wick: Chapter 4," not everything is shot with the principal actor. The second unit is often shooting scenes where stunt doubles are replacing the actor in question, or scenes that don't actually require any of the main cast members to be on camera. But again, since Keanu Reeves is front and center doing his own fighting, driving, and whatnot, the first unit is working with him all the time.
And yes, in addition to throwing punches and kicks and slinging bullets, Keanu Reeves is also doing his own stunt driving. Our own Bill Bria recently got a taste of just how difficult (and awesome) that experience can be, and it's nowhere near as dangerous as what Reeves is doing on camera in every single movie. So imagine what Reeves has to do in order to prepare for a movie like this.
If you'd like to know more about the making of "John Wick: Chapter 4", be sure to check out our interviews with director Chad Stahelski, co-writers Michael Finch and Shay Hatten, and stunt coordinators Scott Rogers and Stephen Dunlevy.