The Cut Scene That Showed A Different Side Of John Wick
If you've ever seen a "John Wick" movie, you know it's often just like watching someone impressively play a really gnarly first-person shooter. Wick, played by the always delightful Keanu Reeves, is a retired hitman forced to come out of his quiet retirement in order to seek vengeance on the men who trashed his house and murdered his innocent puppy. From the very beginning of the first film, it's clear to us that while Wick might be able to murder us with nothing more than a can opener and good aim, he definitely has a softer, more sentimental side to him that doesn't get as much screen time. I'm not saying we should go so far as to think Wick, on his days off from vengeance-fueled murder, is going through life like Alex Wyler à la "The Lake House," but a man doesn't just go on a full out killing spree to avenge the life of his deceased puppy if he isn't at least a little bit sentimental. Especially since said puppy is the last thing his wife gifted to him before she died. Cue the hysterics here.
Basically, what I'm saying is that Wick, for all his prowess with a SIG-Sauer, is actually an invariable softy at his core. Sure, he can ride a horse and shoot people like the best of them, but ultimately what he really wants is to just be at home with his dog binding books. Yes. Books. John Wick, as many fans already know, is a bookbinder in his free time. Unfortunately, this passion for glue and paper has yet to make it into any of the films, but a scene of Wick tending to a rag-tag collection of disheveled tomes does exist — proving that his skill set extends far beyond assassin street cred.
Bind, Baby! Bind!
If you're as obsessed with Keanu Reeves as you probably should be, you've no doubt come across a recent photo of him that's been making its way around the internet. Unlike the usual Reeves stories that circulate in which he is often seen doing something incredibly kind and/or charitable for someone else, this photo pictures him learning how to bind books. Don't get me wrong. The picture is just as swoon-worthy as some of Reeves's more philanthropic acts, but it did leave some people scratching their heads. Could it be that Reeves truly is a man who has it all if you define "all" as both dark academia sentimentality and the gunmanship of a highly trained assassin?
Well, it turns out these photos are actually from when Reeves was filming scenes for "John Wick." In an interview for Uproxx, Reeves states, "In the first script they had John Wick described as working with old leather-bound books and book restoration. [...] We filmed it. It's not in the movie, but we filmed it."
Be still my Keanu-loving heart. This scene is currently not available to watch anywhere — which begs the question, "Why the hell not?" — but just knowing it exists is enough to entertain our Keanu bookbinding fantasies. You can find behind-the-scenes photos of Keanu learning bookbinding and filming some of the scenes at the website of actual bookbinder and prop maker, Ross MacDonald. The images are a bibliophile's dream (especially that bookbinding stamp!) and show that even though Wick is a certified natural-born killer throughout the films, he's really just a nerdy, bookbinding lover at heart.