Rina Sawayama is a successful singer-songwriter who released her debut album Sawayama to critical acclaim during the lockdowns of 2020. Her second album Hold the Girl comes out on September 16, 2022. But she still found time to film her first acting role in John Wick: Chapter 4.
It turns out that she came close to being in The Matrix Resurrections, which was released in 2021, 18 years after we last saw Neo, Trinity and crew. According to the BBC, she auditioned for the legacy sequel, getting down to the final three for the role that eventually went to Jessica Henwick. Chad Stahelski, who was stunt co-ordinator on The Matrix, also happens to direct the John Wick series – and he turned out to be a fan.
“He phoned me up and said, ‘I’ve seen your music videos. You obviously act in them and you can dance and learn fight sequences,'” Sawayama recalled to the BBC. “Two days later, I was flying to Berlin. I couldn’t take anyone with me, no one could visit me. I couldn’t even take an acting coach.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 has unfortunately been much delayed, with its release initially set for 2021, then 2022, and now currently standing at March 24, 2023. Filming began in June 2021, so it shouldn’t face further delays now – surely?
In terms of what to expect from Chapter 4…well, Chapter 3 ended with a severely wounded John Wick being taken to an underground bunker by The Tick Tock Man (Jason Mantzoukas) to Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), where they agreed that the High Table needed to be stopped.
Winston (Ian McShane) left John for dead as he hoped to remain manager of The Continental and in good favour with the High Table. So, in Chapter 4, we hope to see a joining of forces between Bowery King and John Wick.
New cast members include Bill Skarsgård, Donnie Yen, and Scott Adkins. While we wait to find out what’s in store, check out our guide to the best action movies.