New to theaters this weekend is the latest in a popular movie franchise featuring Keanu Reeves.
“John Wick: Chapter 4″ looks at the further adventures of an ex-hit man who everyone seems to be trying to kill.
In the fourth installment, former professional assassin John Wick (Reeves) is being hunted by a whole lot of hired killers.
They’ve been dispatched by the sadistic emissary of the shadowy “High Table,” a guy known as “The Marquis.”
“You come here thinking there’s a way out of this world for you, Mr. Wick,” the villain says at one point. “There is not.”
That villain is played by Swedish actor Bill Skarsgard.
“He really functions as the heel of the movie, the villain. His biggest drive and ambition is climbing up the ladder and becoming more powerful in it,” Skarsgard said, describing his character. “And fairly egocentric, borderline sociopathic.”
You might remember Skarsgard for playing the terrifying clown, Pennywise, in the “It” movies. And no, he doesn’t wear that outfit for Halloween.
“Uh, I think I leave the dressing up for Halloween for the wonderful fans of the franchise. But I’ve done my fair share of clown face,” Skarsgard said with a smile.
For “John Wick: Chapter 4,” he’s traded the clown suit for a wide variety of very eye-catching outfits.
“They’re not subtle with anything in the world of John Wick,” Skarsgard said. “And the costumes were kind of a blend between 19th Century western outfits combined with some sort of Karl Lagerfeld twist on it. And a lot of gold, a lot of bright colors, a lot of glitter.”
Playing opposite Reeves was a little surreal for the actor.
“The first Matrix movie was incredibly impactful for me,” Skarsgard said. “I was like 8 or 9 when it came out. And it’s always strange when you’re all of a sudden sitting across a table from him, acting with him. There’s that moment of, ‘Oh, life is strange.’”
John Wick movies are known for their highly choreographed action scenes, which were very impressive to watch being shot.
“It’s incredible. I don’t think people fully realize the time and effort that goes into making a spectacle like this,” Skarsgard said. “The choreography, the amount of training, and the amounts of precision. The camera work along, the way the camera moves and dances…it has to be so precise. If there’s a stumble anywhere, the scene falls apart. So in that sense, ‘John Wick 4′ is doing things that you haven’t ever really seen before.”
“John Wick: Chapter 4″ is now playing. It’s rated R with a run time of 2 hours, 49 minutes.