John Wick Chapter 3: The cast talks assassins and representation

Besides people turning into corpses on the quest to find the most elusive hitman of them all, there are other reveals about the John Wick saga that SYFY Fangrrls' Cher Martinetti found out, and they probably aren’t what you think.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum already has a fierce enough title, which comes from the Latin Si vis pacem, para bellum, an ancient Roman military quote that basically translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war.” What’s even fiercer is how this movie is making breakthroughs in representation in the middle of all those underground criminal shenanigans.

Halle Berry, who plays Wick’s assassin sidekick Sofia, may basically be a vampire who ages backward, but even she acknowledged that kickass bad-girl roles like hers are usually given to women half her age. Who cares if you can still punch and slash your way through subterranean gang haunts? Unfortunately, ageism is a problem in the industry. Berry jokingly brushed director Chad Stahelski’s graying hair as she mentioned how men in Hollywood just get sexier over the years while women are cast aside.

Stahelski and nonbinary actor Asia Kate Dillon made a choice for the Adjudicator that was really just an extension of the character but will reach beyond the John Wick universe in adding another genre character who people like Dillon can relate to. The Adjudicator’s gender identity didn’t really define them in the script, and both actor and director felt that the choice was pretty much right there. “It just felt very natural,” Dillon said. “This person is already mysterious, like, let’s make them a nonbinary character because I’m a nonbinary actor, so why not?”

Mark Dacascos is thrilled to be part of a movieverse in which the main character is so revered that being chosen to hunt him down is the greatest honor ever. Maybe that doesn’t really translate to the society we live in, but hey, this is is fiction. Dacascos’ character Zero is also someone you don’t see every day. How often do you see an Asian man as the head villain?

If you want to find out what Keanu Reeves has to say ... you just have to watch the video.

This article was contributed to by Elizabeth Rayne.