When it comes to exactly why making "John Wick: Chapter 4" was so hard on Keanu Reeves, the answer is simple: The director wanted to go big or go home. Thus, they needed to up the ante on the action, compared to the previous installments.
"There's more action in this film than any of the others," Reeves explained at CCXP22. "The director has a vision to try and make [the John Wick movies] interesting. Like, we have a great fight in the middle of a street in front of the Arc de Triomphe [in Paris] ... We go back on the horses...Some driving...There's some nunchucks...There's some swords...There's some bow and arrow...It's crazy John Wick stuff."
Speaking to IGN in November, director Chad Stahelski talked about how he wanted "Chapter 4" to be the most John Wick movie ever made, and part of that meant pushing Reeves to the physical and creative brink.
"Keanu's got to get better," Stahelski recalled thinking. "I'm saying he's got to get better at John Wick. He's got to expand, he's got to get better at martial arts. He's got to get better in every way." And that's exactly what seems to have happened, according to Reeves.
"I get to do so many crazy things, whether it's [to] be on a horse or have a knife fight that's like a snowball fight," he told the CCXP22 panel. "But it's the world of John Wick that I think separates it as well," Reeves added, describing his love for the role. "It's just a lot of fun."
