After John Wick’s premiere, even the cast and the production team didn’t expect that it would become a sensational movie. The production team didn’t have a series in mind for production but they decided to make another episode.
Mostly, the next episodes(sequels) of movies are full of disappointment especially for those produced without expectation or prior planning. However, John Wick Chapter 2 Reloaded expanded the John Wick Universe and became an explosive hit. Among the John Wick series, people would choose John Wick Chapter 2 Reloaded as the best episode.
Abram Tarasov - Rolf Peter Ingvar Storm (Peter Stormare)
Probably more familiar as Peter Stormare, Rolf Peter Ingvar Storm plays the role of Abram Tarasov who is a relative of Vigo Tarasov and part of the Tarasov family. Peter Stormare is also from Sweden who ironically is most famous for his role as Russians.
Peter Stormare acted the role of John Abruzzi during the Prison Break television series and as the Russian astronaut in the Armageddon Lev Andropov.
Also, he played the role ‘Ghost’ in the movie 22 Jump Street as well. Some people would recognize Peter Stormare in Jurassic Park The Lost World as the man hunted down by the pack of Compsognathus.
Peter Stormare acted Dietrich Viggo ‘Dieter’ Stark as a part of the Ingen Isla Sorna hunting party.
Most of all, Peter Stormare’s partnership with Keanu Reeves and how he got to act in John Wick Reloaded was due to their friendship during the iconic movie Constantin.
Peter Stormare acted as Lucifer who was after John Constantin. Words say that after John Wick episode 1 was sensational, Peter Stormare and Keanu Reeves were having a conversation and Peter Stormare asked if there was anything he could help.
This conversation led to Peter Stormare acting as Abram Tarasov settling down matters between John Wick and the Tarasov family.
Santino D’ Antonio – Riccardo Scamarcio
Camorra is an Italian mob (The term Mafia usually in general refers to the Italian La Costa Nostra of Sicily) that originates from the Campania region which Naples is the largest city.
Ricardo Scamarcio who act as Santino D’ Antonio, the representative of Camora was born in another Italian coast city Trani.
Riccardo Scamarcio’s role Santino D’ Antonio drives John Wick deep down back into the crime underworld. Riccardo Scamarcio has acted since his late teenage years in various television series and Italian films.
He started to premier in Hollywood films from the middle 2010’s which John Wick series was one of these films. Riccardo Scamarcio was a part of the movie Burnt along with Siena Miller and Bradley Cooper as an Italian cook Marx who got out of prison after smacking a person who apparently couldn’t handle a monkfish.
Already Riccardo Scamarcio is a very experienced actor with already 23 years of acting career as of 2023. Many fans are eager to see Riccardo Scamarcio on screen for different roles.
Gianna D’ Antonio - Claudia Gerini
Itlalian actress Claudia Gerini acts the role of Gianna D’ Antonio who was supposed to become the representative of Camora but assassinated (and died by her own will) by John Wick due to the marker he owned to Santino D’ Antonio.
Claudia Gerini’s role Gianna D’Antonio dies while choosing her own way of death with a presence as if she were wearing a red dress.
Although her appearance was very short, Gianna’s presence was very strong during the whole film. Claudia Gerini premiered mor on Italian domestic television films and cinema rather than taking part in Hollywood movies.
Julius – Franco Nero / Francesco Clement Giuseppe Sparanero
Francesco Clement Giuseppe Sparnero or more well known as Franco Nero takes the role as Julius.
Julius is the manager of the Italy Rome Continental Hotel who provides John Wick the best room of the Rome Continental hotel and worries of John as a 7-million-dollar bounty is put on his head.
Franco Nero has an excellent acting career within Italy domestic films and television series. Franco Nero shall be most famous as his role as Django during the whole Django series.
Django is a Spaghetti Western movie which is a movie that deals with the pioneers and cowboys in the wild west of the United States of America but made in Italy.
Clint Eastwood’s The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly is another famous Spaghetti Western movie for example. Franco Nero also played the main antagonist general Ramon Esperanza om the second episode of Diehard.
Ares - Ruby Rose Lagenheim
Santino D’ Antonio’s body guard with aphasia (Not really sure what the condition) Ares was played by the Australian actress Ruby Rose.
Throughout the series, John Wick communicates with his opponents, friends and people with all kinds of different languages including hand language with Ares.
Ares is the god of war and brother of the god of wisdom (and war) Athena.
However, unlike Mars (Mars is Ares in the Roman mythology) in Roman culture, in Greek culture Ares has always been sloppy making many mistakes despite his status as the god of war.
Ruby Rose’s role Ares is also an assassin similar like the Greek mythology where she couldn’t harm John Wick as much as she exaggerates.
Ruby Rose has served as a warrior in films such as SAS:Red Notice, and the doorman where she appears as an former marine. Ruby Rose also premiered as Stella Carlin in the television series Orange is the New Black.
Ruby Rose was also a part of the Pitch Perfect series where she was on screen for the third episode as Calamity who was a member of the band Evermoist.
Her performance during the rip offs in Pitch Perfect with the original song Zombie by the Cranberries was very impressive. Ruby Rose is a very talented actress, model and DJ.
Cassian – Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn)
Cassian was Gianna D’ Antonio’s associate and right-hand man who was capable of making a close fight with John Wick one on one.
Cassian buys a glass of bourbon for John Wick while he warns that he shall be after him saying “Consider it a professional courtesy”.
However, John Wick uses the knife which the Sommelier recommended as dessert on Cassian’s chest. John gave Cassian a choice just like he did to Bowery King in the past on whether pull the knife out and try to kill John dying or put pressure on and survive.
John returns the favor to Cassian to consider that as a profession courtesy. John puts a knife into Ares at the exact spot but John doesn’t give Ares a choice.
The rapper Common (who used to be Common Sense) acts the role of Cassian. Common made several albums such as his 3rd album One Day It'll All Make Sense and 4th album Like Water For Chocolate that gave a positive impression on listeners.
Common appears as the Gun Smith in the movie Wanted, Monster T in the Suicide Squad, FBI agent Evans in Now You see me, and rear admiral John Fisk in the movie Hunter Killer.
Interesting actors and actresses in John Wick Chapter 2 Reloaded
What is a Sommelier?
One of the characters that contributed to the success of John Wick Chapter 2 Reloaded was the sommelier from the Roman Continental Hotel.
A sommelier is a professional that assess the value of wine. The term sommelier may have derived from the Middle Ages French word soumeier which means a government official that manages distributors or the term somier which is a distributor that would pack merchandise on animals.
Sommelier would usually recommend wine but in the John Wick universe, the Sommelier recommends firearms for John Wick’s great task.
The sommelier in John Wick Chapter 2 has many details to take note of. He wears a Tastevin which is a special type of tools for sommelier that helps sommelier evaluate wine by the taste, flavor, fragrance, acidity and the oxidation of the wine.
However, the sommelier has another unusual medal that the Germans during the Nazi regime awarded to those who participated in anti-partisan campaigns. The medal that the sommelier has is called the Wandenkampfabzeichen.
The Nazi symbol was removed and what the medal really meant isn’t known but the Wandenkampfabzeichen(anti-partisan campaign contribution medal) has a sword(That symbolizes the Germans and those who participated in anti-partisan campaigns) in the middle of the head of a hydra.(that symbolizes the endless number of partisans)
The hydra is a mythical creature in Greek-Roman mythology whose head would constantly double when beheaded. This might symbolize John Wick killing off numerous people but they would endlessly head towards John.
Sommelier – Peter Szymon Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz is an English actor born from a father from Belarus origin and his mother of Polish origin. Peter Serafinowicz is an actor and producer especially in terms of political comedy in Great Britain.
He played the voice of the sith lord Darth Maul in Star Wars episode 1 the Phantom Menace.
The voices of some of the Gungan warriors and the B1 battle droids were also recorded by Peter Serafinowicz He also played the role of Aldo in the comedy movie Spy along with Jude Law and Melissa McCarthy.
He also appeared as Denarian Saal in the Guardian of the Galaxy series.
Mr. Akoni – Chukwudi Iwuji
Although it was such a short appearance, Mr. Akoni had a memorable conversation with Gianna D’Antonio. Chukwudi Iwjui played the role of Mr. Akoni. Chukwudi Iwuji is a Nigerian-English actor who graduated from Yale University majoring in economics.
Chukwudi Iwuji has started to impress the Hollywood scene as his impressive acting as Clemson Murn in the Peacemaker television series and High Evolutionary in the Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3.
Angelo – The tailor of John Wick
The tailor that made John Wick’s bullet proof suit is actually played by Luca Mosca. Luca Mosca was the actual director of costumes of the John Wick Chapter 2 Reloaded. No wonder why he was so experienced.
John Wick’s private safe – episode with the Hasidic Jewish people
Many Jewish people have been in the banking and finance industry. After the John Wick Chapter 2 production was confirmed, the producing team of the John Wick team were having a meal at a Kosher restaurant. Kosher refers to food that is certified by the Jewish principal Kashrus/Kashrut.
While the production team was having their meal, a group of Hasidic Jewish people were having a meal and the production team thought it would be cool to have a secret Jewish order in the John Wick universe and offered them a cast role.
The Hasidic Jews agreed to participate in the film under the condition that they shall be playing a role as a banker or vault keeper.
While John Wick visits the Jewish vault, the leader of the vault keepers would reply to Idish ‘zayt matzliah’ that may mean ‘Happy Hunting’ but would be more properly interpreted as ‘Good Luck’.
The Asian that wouldn’t die – Yamamoto Ryuichi(山本 龍一) feat. Sumo wrestler in Ed Sheeran Shape of You official music video
John Wick always double taps a bullet in the head and the torso which is called the Mozambique drill. The original Mozambique drill is called a failure drill and unofficially known as two to the body and one to the head drill.
The Asian assassin that wouldn’t die even with a bullet on the head was the retried Japanese Sumo wrestler Yamamoto Ryuichi.
Yamamoto Ryuichi was once the heaviest sumo wrestler recorded in Japan (which is most likely the heaviest person in Japan as well).
After he retired from sumo, Yamamoto Ryuichi started to reside in the US and promote Japanese Sumo. He is also the sumo wrestler in the music video of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You that knocks Ed Sheeran out.
Violinist – Chad Stahelski’s wife Heidi Moneymaker
Chad Stahelski directed the whole John Wick series. Chad started his career as a stuntman which he partnered with Keanu Reeves since the Matrix series.
Heidi Moneymaker is Chad’s wife and another famous stuntwoman doubling for numerous Hollywood films.
Heidi Moneymaker not only appears as the violinist who tried to assassinate John Wick but also doubled Ruby Rose during John Wick Chapter 2 Reloaded.
