For nearly a decade, the Keanu Reeves-helmed franchise John Wick has been cranking out some of the best action movies of all time. The fourth installment of the series is right around the corner, and when its trailer debuted, fans got their first glimpse of John Wick's high-octane war against the High Table. What would it feel like to join the cast of a well-established world and a series with critically acclaimed action (see the best fight scenes ranked)? According to Japanese–British singer-songwriter and Wick franchise newcomer Rina Sawayama, it's terrifying.
The pop singer recently sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone, where she spoke with fellow musical artist Shania Twain–which is only fitting since Sawayama sampled Twain's iconic "Let's Go Girls" line for her hit single 'This Hell.' While the two artists spoke about everything from their influences to their love for their queer fans, the conversation soon turned to Sawayama's upcoming role in John Wick: Chapter 4. The musician revealed she was somewhat grossed out when she saw the first edit of her performance and didn't recognize herself on screen. She said:
Terrifying. When you are doing a music video, you’re choosing the character. I don’t feel grossed out at all looking at myself when I’m doing music videos. But in a movie, you’re contributing to making a character, but also, it’s someone else’s vision. When I first saw my edit, I was freaked out because it wasn’t me. I was like, ‘I can’t believe my nostrils are doing this.'
We can all empathize with the indie artist. It can be difficult not to overly criticize yourself when you're on camera, especially regarding acting. Music videos give Sawayama more creative control over her character, not to mention she has years of practice in the art form. Performing in music videos tends to be more in line with modeling than creating a whole character, like acting in major motion pictures requires.
Sawayama revealed in the interview how she downplayed her dissatisfaction with her performance to the director and producer. She continued:
In front of the director and producer, I was like, 'I'm so happy with my performance!' But inside, I was dying. I was like, 'Oh, fuck. This movie probably cost over $100 million to make. I'm a newbie. I'm ruining it. Everyone else is an amazing actor.' It just completely sent me into a spiral. Now, I know why actors don't watch their movies.
I'm sure the singer-turned-actress is likely being overly critical of her performance. Keanu Reeves and the other producers must have seen something unique in Sawayama to cast her in the beloved action franchise.
Despite how terrifying the viewing experience of the first edit was for the singer, it sounds like the making of the movie was far more relaxed. Sawayama has spoken in the past about how welcoming Reeves was on set to the new actors, and how he was a sort of mentor behind the scenes. The singer shared her favorite memory from working with Reeves, saying he was a calming presence while the two shared gym time getting into shape for their respective parts. All the more reason to love the Matrix star. Like we needed another reason!
You can catch Rina Sawayama in her first significant movie role, playing Akira, when John Wick: Chapter 4 hits cinemas on March 24, 2023. In the meantime, you can check out CinemaBlend's 2022 movie schedule to see what upcoming movies are dropping this year.
