Keanu Reeves cut his 'John Wick: Chapter 4' dialogue down to just 380 words in 3 hours: He's dedicated 'to not speaking'
A new report points out that Keanu Reeves only speaks 380 words in "John Wick: Chapter 4."
Cowriter Michael Finch told the Wall Street Journal the star took part in huge scripting sessions.
But the actor made sure to keep Wick's lines incredibly short, often choosing just a single word.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" sees Keanu Reeves return as the titular unstoppable assassin as he tries to free himself from the all-powerful criminal organization, the High Table.
The sequel from director Chad Stahelski is arguably the most ambitious chapter of the franchise, with some of the biggest stunts and fight sequences of Reeves' career.
But with each sequel, Reeves appears to have less and less dialogue.
Wick has always been the strong and silent type, but he speaks mostly in compact sentences and singular words in "Chapter 4."
In fact, Reeves only says 380 words throughout the lengthy two-hour-and-49-minute long runtime, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The new report points out that Reeves only said 484 words in 2014's "John Wick." However, the actor obviously does a lot more than just recite lines in each movie, as there's a mind-boggling amount of stunt work that goes into the character because of his determined nature.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" cowriter Michael Finch told the WSJ that it's surprising how little Reeves wants to talk in the "John Wick" movies.
"It's a shock when you work with him how dedicated he is to not speaking," said the writer.
Finch and Stahelski also recalled how Reeves whittled down his own lines in "Chapter 4," explaining a moment where Wick arranges a duel with the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård).
The scene was meant to be a back-and-forth conversation, but Reeves rearranged it so Wick says a single line: "Pistols. No quarter."
The report also added that Wick says an average of four words per line in the fourth film. And 27% of them consist of a single word, including the word, "Yeah."
Finch added that he worked with fellow writer Shay Hatten, Reeves, and Stahelski during nine-hour scriptwriting sessions for the film, with Reeves acting out every single character.
Finch said: "Keanu would do all the characters. He was a one-man show."
Read the original article on Insider
