“I Think He Knew”: Keanu Reeves Opens Up About Letter To Lance Reddick In Touching Tribute To John Wick Star
Keanu Reeves reveals he once wrote Lance Reddick a letter about his John Wick character stating Charon’s important impact on the franchise.
SUMMARY
Keanu Reeves once wrote a letter to Lance Reddick, acknowledging the impact of his character Charon on the John Wick franchise.
Reddick’s portrayal of Charon provided balance and grounded the series’ flashy action sequences.
Charon’s stoicism and complex relationship with John Wick made him an important and memorable character in the franchise.
Keanu Reeves penned Lance Reddick a letter before the talented actor passed, honoring his John Wick character. Initially kicking off in 2014, the John Wick franchise is led by Reeves as the titular hitman who gets drawn back into the criminal underworld after seeking to avenge the death of his beloved dog.
The John Wick universe is filled out by other gifted actors like John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, and Reddick, who sadly passed away in March 2023. He played Charon, the concierge at New York City’s Continental Hotel.
Now, Reeves, who accepted the first Lance Reddick Legacy Award at the 51st Saturn Awards, revealed to People that he once wrote Reddick a letter celebrating his character’s impact on the John Wick franchise. Read his full comments below:
He had such a passion and a fire for creativity, and for his craft, and for art. I had the chance to work with him on four films over the course of eight years, and over that time, we got to know each other better. But also, he had such a grace, and he was funny. I mean, humor-wise. I don’t know. I think favorite memory… it’s the scenes that I had with him and the relationship that he and John Wick had, Charon.
I once told him… Well, actually I wrote him a letter and I said, ‘people love John Wick because Charon loves John Wick.’ Because that character loved John Wick, that made John Wick okay. And so when I got to act with him, we had such an affection.
The characters had such an affection, and offscreen, we had such an affection and just really enjoying working on the John Wick films, our characters, getting to work with Chad [Stahelski] and on that series. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime project. I think he knew that, I knew it, and we just loved working together on it.
Reddick’s Charon Was Important To The John Wick Universe
It Wouldn’t Have Felt As Grounded Without Him
Reddick was an incredibly gifted actor whose brilliant and extensive filmography is a testament to both his reliability and versatility. During his career, Reddick played a number of iconic roles, including Cedric Daniels in HBO’s The Wire, Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch, and Phillip Broyles in Fringe. However, Charon is one of his most well-known characters.
Reddick brilliantly sold Charon’s stoicism along with his complex and sometimes tender relationship with the franchise’s protagonist.
Reddick’s portrayal of Charon was important for John Wick, as both his character and his performance made the franchise feel more grounded and believable. Early on in the film series, it was established that The Continental, the legendary safe haven for assassins which also serves as the centerpiece of the John Wick universe, functioned on a set of strict rules.
Amid the franchise’s flashy action sequences and chaos, Reddick’s Charon helped provide some balance, as his character mostly enforced the Continental’s rules of business and ensured that everyone on the hotel grounds was treated with respect.
John Wick is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Reddick brilliantly sold Charon’s stoicism along with his complex and sometimes tender relationship with the franchise’s protagonist. Reddick will make his final appearance as Charon as part of the John Wick spinoff Ballerina‘s cast, and his role will serve as a reminder of how he helped establish one of the most successful film series in recent years.
How John Wick Can Continue Without Lance Reddick
Can Another Character Take Charon’s Place?
As a supporting character in the larger John Wick franchise cast, Charon isn’t as crucial as, say, Reeves’ Wick, but as Reeves explains, it’s Charon that makes Wick’s extreme bloodletting more palatable to audiences.
Charon ultimately dies fairly early on in the latest sequel, but the John Wick: Chapter 4 ending leaves the door open for Wick’s return in another movie. If a fifth film does happen, it would do well to find a Charon replacement.
Regarding a potential John Wick 5 , franchise director Chad Stahelski has hinted that he and Reeves are open to another installment, but a strong enough story idea hasn’t yet presented itself.
Replacing Charon is, of course, a challenging task due to everything that Reddick brought to the role, but the character’s bigger function could potentially be captured by another character and actor.
While Wick is very much a lone wolf throughout the franchise, it’s important that there are people around him who care about him. Ian McShane’s Winston does care about Wick, but as seen in John Wick: Chapter 3‘s ending, he is also willing to shoot him off a rooftop if it means furthering his own power.
In many ways, Charon is a cog in a much larger machine, much in the same way Wick is. It’s possible that an existing character could come to serve a similar purpose, such as John Leguizamo’s Aurelio. Aurelio and Wick clearly have a history and could even be considered friends, and Aurelio has arguably been underused in the franchise.
If John Wick 5 does happen, giving Wick another ally on Charon’s level could be a smart move, though there’s no denying that the franchise will never be quite the same without Reddick’s particular talents.
