Veteran actor Keanu Reeves made sure pop star Rina Sawayama was well taken care of with her involvement in the upcoming sequel, John Wick: Chapter 4. While this will be Reeves' fourth outing as the titular vigilante, Sawayama makes her introduction into the franchise with what will also be her debut acting role for a feature film. She is best known for her accolades in music which includes 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 that she was a bit uncomfortable working on John Wick 4 as she still doesn't like seeing herself onscreen, and it even got to the point where she "freaked out" on the set.
"I really love the process of doing something I’ve never done — learning to read scripts and getting into a character. But I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to seeing myself onscreen in that way, to be honest — it’s a very different vibe to “I need to look hot in my music video.” The camera gets so close you can basically see your pulse, it’s crazy, crazy close. I watched a preview and I freaked out because it was so f***ing weird."
This doesn't mean her experience working on the sequel was a bad one. In fact, she credits Reeves for looking after her and making the shoot much easier to get through. Sawayama also feels honored that Reeves had a say in her casting, and that's something else she is still trying to wrap her brain around.
"But Keanu was amazing, and exactly what you think he’d be like, so chill. But he looked after me in loads of different ways, very much behind the scenes — not telling me that he was doing something for me, but making sure that it was done. Although him being one of the executive producers means that he had a hand in casting me, so that was really crazy to comprehend."
Rina Sawayama Says Keanu Reeves Is Very Down to Earth
In a previous interview with Metro, Sawayama had also praised Reeves for his positive attitude, feeling by the end of the shoot that he was like a family member. She also can't forget one memory she has of training with Reeves for the film and sharing a moment of levity.
"Keanu just has such an ordinariness about him – he’s really down to earth, he’s someone who is so chilled and lovely – just great to hang out with like he’s a family member. My favorite memory is looking over to him while we were both training in the same gym and being like, “F**k!” That was one of my faves – [training] was just so brutal! I loved sharing that moment with him – we were both like, “This is horrible.” But I can’t compare to what he’s done – he’s in the whole movie and I am in a portion 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, ,the film stars Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Clancy Brown, Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Ian McShane. It will be released in theaters on March 24, 2023.