If you’re going to get your big acting break, there are few better franchises to land in than John Wick starring opposite Keanu Reeves.
Singer Rina Sawayama had this exact experience with her role as Akira in John Wick: Chapter 4 — and as she explains to Jimmy Fallon in the Tonight Show clip above, it sort of came out of the blue.
“I just randomly get a call from Chad Stahelski,” explains Sawayama. “He wants to speak with me. I’m like why the f*** does he want to speak with me? What does the director of John Wick want to speak with me for?”
It turns out Stahelski wanted to offer her the part after watching some of her music videos — many of which were directed by Sawayama and feature her acting.
“If I’ve got this budget to do a music video, I’m also gonna make it my acting portfolio,” Sawayama says.
“And it worked! Because he said I’ve been watching your videos, Keanu and I watched your ‘Bad Friend‘ video and ‘XS‘ video and were so impressed, because clearly you do stunts — because I did fighting in ‘Bad Friend’ – and clearly you can act.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is in theatres from March 24.
