Rina Sawayama will be appearing in John Wick 4 later this month, which will mark her debut in the film industry. She revealed that she utilized her own videos as a portfolio while auditioning for the role of Akira, which she successfully landed. During her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Sawayama expressed her amazement and gratitude for being chosen to play the part, describing it as a “Hollywood miracle.”
“I had just finished writing my second album,” the star explained. “Not fully, but the bulk of it. And I was having a creative block before that, so it was amazing that I managed to write most of it in two months. And never in my schedule have I had a couple months free, but because I finished that block of work there was a couple months free after that. And then I just randomly get a call from Chad Stahelski.”
“I co-direct some of my videos and I write some of my videos as well,” Sawayama further added about her clip for ‘XS’. “I wrote into my videos the fact that I’ll be acting as a character… Honestly I was thinking, ‘You know what? If I’ve got this budget to do a music video, I’m also going to make it my acting portfolio.’ And it worked!”
Sawayama on working with Keanu Reeves, ‘He’s not a showy person’
The singer earlier spoke about working alongside Keanu Reeves with ‘Good Morning America’. “He was so sweet. He’s not a showy person. He does things a lot behind the scenes to make sure everyone is feeling OK,” she said. “So kind.”
“Honestly, he can turn off the celebrity, which is a weird thing to say. You think someone like Keanu walking around the set has an air of celebrity constantly, but he’s there just to work,” she added. “I didn’t feel intimidated at all.”
Sawayama plays Shimazu Koji’s daughter (played by Hiroyuki Sanada) in the movie and showcases her exceptional fighting abilities and stunts.
“John Wick: Chapter 4” will arrive in theaters on March 24.