There are many things that John Wick Chapter 2 does astoundingly well. As is the case with groundbreaking action sequels, they expand the world greatly while simultaneously upping the ante across the board. Two of the players in this wider John Wick universe are played by Common and Laurence Fishburne. The latter plays a wise man, the Bowery King, who is deeply connected in the underworld, and the former plays one of the world’s finest assassins, Cassian, who crosses paths with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) in Rome — which commences a global battle of epic proportions.
We caught up with Common and Fishburne at the press day for John Wick Chapter 2 and the pair talked about joining this underground assassin world that first entertained us in John Wick back in 2014. Common shares how he got ready to film some of the cinema’s most explosive fight scenes we’ve ever seen while Fishburne explores any similarity, if there is any, between the relationships of the Bowery King and John Wick, and Morpheus and Neo from the actors’ days in The Matrix.
Q: I’ve got a question about the big Neo and Morpheus reunion. Can you talk about collaborating again with Keanu?
Laurence Fishburne: Keanu came up to the house. [He] was training for this one and I said, “Dude! John Wick, it was sick! It was killer! You’ve gotta put me down!” And [he] was like, “Yeah! I’ll talk to Chad and them.” [They] were like, “We have something. We might have something.”
Q: As a fan of the first film, Common, how does it feel to see the sequel executed so beautifully?
Common: When I saw the first John Wick, it was very special to me. It’s what I enjoy about films and watching movies. It was a wonderful experience for me.
Q: How much training did you have to go through?
Common: Knowing I was going to have the opportunity to join that world and knowing I’d be working with Keanu and Chad (Stahelski, director), you know you’re working with the highest level. When I first spoke to Chad, I said, “I wanna be a great action artist, like really deliver. I wanna be one of the greats on screen as an actor and as a fighter.” They took me back to the basics of 87-11, which is the stunt company that they have. I just learned so much. It was a lot of work but I wanted him to know I was committed. Getting to work with Keanu, and seeing how he would come in every day after doing all these different scenes, and having other work to do in other scenes, and the fight coordination, with him just coming in and giving 110 percent — he’s like a perfectionist. Every time we’d rehearse, and if we didn’t end on the right note, we gotta do one more. We’d say, “Where’s the flavor? We gotta get the flavor!” [Laughs]
Q: What did you take away from working so closely with Keanu, Common?
Common: As far as I’m concerned, he just has it. I know we’re doing it for a film but you can feel the strength and some of that doesn’t feel like film work. It’s like, “This dude is throwing this blow. You’d better be ready to move or it’s going to connect.” I definitely know he’s the warrior we see John Wick as.
Q: Some see a similarity between the Morpheus-Neo relationship and the Bowery King-John Wick relationship. Do you, Laurence?
Laurence Fishburne: No. I feel like these are two completely different guys than the guys we are in those movies. The only similarity is that I might know something he doesn’t know when we first meet each other. [Keanu’s character] knows something I don’t know!
Q: You’re just a little excited to join this world, aren’t you?
Laurence Fishburne: I just love the world of John Wick, The Continental, all of that. When I saw the first film, I thought, “I’d really like to play with these guys.”
Q: Common, this is such a wonderful action ballet. What was your favorite scene and why?
Common: I can say fighting on the streets of Rome was really exciting and it was difficult too, because as I stated once before, Chad is really brilliant in creating these things, and he also has this spontaneity to him, which I really love, to be honest.
Q: Laurence, what do you think the title should be for John Wick 3?
Laurence Fishburne: A Man and His Dog.
[Everyone laughs]
Q: Speaking of John Wick: Chapter 3, we’re left wondering if Cassian will return. Will he?
Common: That might depend on how well I treat Chad and Basil (Iwanyk, the producer) as to whether Cassian comes back [laughs]. Honestly, it’s left up to the visionaries to know if Cassian will be back. What do you say, Chad?