The transcript below is from the video “Scott Adkins Talks John Wick 4” by Scott Adkins.

Scott Adkins:

I’ve known Chad for quite some time. I’ve worked with him as a second-unit director on a couple of action films. You know, someone I’ve always looked up to and he’s done so much in his life as a stunt man, as a stunt coordinator, as a director now, and the business of 8711 and he phoned me up, I guess it was October, and he said I’m thinking about writing a role for you in John Wick 4.

Scott Adkins:

Are you interested? And I’m like, yeah, of course, I am. I got very excited and I didn’t hear from him for ages and you know he’s not the best at returning text. So I’m thinking, am I still going to be in that movie and what is the part, you know. I didn’t know anything. And So eventually, he phones me up again six months later and says, right, I’ve got the sides for the part but I’m not going to send it to you. I want to talk you through it.

Scott Adkins:

For guys like me that have come up through the world of stunts and martial arts, he’s someone that you look up to, you know, for all the work that he’s done as a stunt man. The fact that he’s one of the best martial artists I’ve ever met, I mean, he’s proficient in so many different styles of martial arts, like you literally cannot believe it. He can do everything and it’s amazing when he starts, you know, showing you how to do it on the set. And people are like, wow, he really does know his stuff.

Scott Adkins:

The whole world of John Wick is just great. It’s like almost in some sort of alternate universe. It’s real life on steroids and you’ve got all these colorful characters, and what amazes me about the John Wick movies is, obviously, the action is second to none but it’s the cinematography and the set design. I mean, everything looks just, it’s beautiful to look at. He is the head of the German table. He is connected to John Wick in a very personal way because my character killed basically his father figure. It’s very personal the relationship between me and John Wick.

Scott Adkins:

And I certainly rub that in and have a lot of fun doing, so he definitely likes the sound of his own voice and he’s pretty pompous and arrogant. We’ve had various card coaches because I started off in America I was doing another film so I got myself some cards. I was looking at stuff on YouTube just trying to figure out some nifty things to do, not really knowing what was going to be expected of me. And then when I got back to England, I had a magician show me some of his tricks which was the one that we ended up using was to flick the card and to catch it.

Scott Adkins:

Keanu is, he lives up to everything you’ve heard about him. Obviously, he’s just such a nice guy. I remember coming to the set and he was doing action, you know, fighting all day and he decides to offer me his seat. I’m like, you’re here fighting all night, you take the seat Keanu. I’m just visiting for one hour. It’ll be fine. That’s the kind of guy he is, right?

Scott Adkins:

He’s just such a nice guy and I think one of the reasons that John Wick works so much is because he’s this badass assassin. But when that guy is inhabited by Keanu, he’s just so likable to watch. You can’t help but root for the guy. He just, you know, he could play Ted Bundy and you’re gonna root for him.

Scott Adkins:

Donnie Yen is a legend of action cinema. He’s one of the greats, one of the best to ever do it. I had the fortune of working with him once before on Hitman 4 and I was the bad guy in that and he gave me a real good kicker, which my character greatly deserved. And it’s just a pleasure to work with somebody like that. You’re working with people at the top of the game.

Scott Adkins:

For me, I do a lot of action films, that’s my thing, that’s what I’m known for. But if you get to do action in a John Wick movie, that’s the highest accolade. This is where it’s at right now. In terms of action, there is no better action movie, action movie franchise being made at this present time better than John Wick. And now we’re adding to that Donnie Yen and Shamir Anderson, who’s no slouch himself, he’s bringing the action in this. But Donnie of course, it goes without saying that he’s one of the greatest to ever do it.