Rina Sawayama initially turned down John Wick: Chapter 4 role

Did pop star Rina Sawayama jump at the chance to appear alongside Keanu Reeves in the just-released John Wick: Chapter 4? Not exactly. In fact, when franchise director Chad Stahelski approached the "This Hell" singer about the role of Akira, the concierge at the movie's Osaka Continental hotel, it was a case of thanks but no thanks.

"I got on a phone call with her," Stahelski recalls. "[I said], 'Hi, I'm Chad; I'm the director of John Wick.' And she was like, 'Oh, I like those movies.' I was like, 'That's good; how would you like to be in one?' And there was a little awkward silence. It was like, 'Yeah, I don't do movies, I've never acted, I don't do action.'"

According to the filmmaker, Stahelski then spent an hour trying to convince the singer to reconsider the subject and make her film debut in John Wick: Chapter 4.

"I [said], 'Look, we like the way you perform, and I love your vibe. Would you at least fly to Berlin and meet us?'" he explains. "So, she flew from London to Berlin, spent the day with me, Keanu, and our stunt team, [she] did a little assessment. Having so much of a performance-dance background, she had a great mindset and a memory for choreography, and she had a natural ability to perform, and she's got this vibe and charisma about her that obviously speaks for itself. After the day, we all got together in the office later that night and said, 'Do you want to give it a go?' And she said, 'Yes.' She spent four or five weeks with the stunt team. It's pretty crazy."

Reeves believes that betting the singer could carry off the acting, and the action, paid off.

"She was great," says the Matrix star. "I think she's amazing in the film, and she came to John Wick training camp and just threw herself into it, was so enthusiastic. She has a dance background, so she was really great with moving through space, and it was really great to see how she excelled and also brought her character a flavor [to] how she fought. It was great."

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