One of the new stars of John Wick: Chapter 4 found surprising inspiration from one of cinema’s greatest villains: Heath Ledger’s Joker.
The first John Wick barely peeled back the layers of the rule-abiding, killer-wandering world. We were introduced to some key figures, like Winston and Charon, but everyone else was either some poor sod who thought they could kill Keanu Reeves’ assassin or a passing acquaintance who knew he wasn’t to be messed with.
In each sequel, the scope of the franchise has expanded, usually as a result of Wick being pursued by an increasing number of fellow assassins – and Chapter 4 is its biggest entry yet.
The movie pits Wick against the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), a High Table emissary who puts a huge bounty on his head. Lots of killers come after him, including the Tracker (Shamier Anderson).
John Wick 4’s Tracker was inspired by Heath Ledger’s Joker
In an interview with Vulture, Anderson spoke about his performance as the Tracker – also known as Mr Nobody – and cited Ledger’s iconic turn in The Dark Knight.
“I looked at the Joker and studied a lot of what Heath Ledger did, how exciting that character was; you just knew that guy had a robust past,” he said.
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“Like, why did he get those scars? And, for me, why do I have this canine? Why do I have this knapsack? Why am I dressed like this? This guy’s transient. He has pockets because he travels so much; he doesn’t really change.
“That notebook you see in the film, I took that home and wrote a lot in there. That knapsack that he had on, I had a lot of personal items, like dog toys, dog treats, lighters engraved with my name. I just had to put my DNA on this. And I think it’s translating as people are infatuated with the Tracker.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is in cinemas now. You can check out our other coverage below:
John Wick 4 review | Killa explained | Ranking the movies | Is there a post-credits scene? | Marquis explained | Ballerina cameo | How long is Chapter 4? | Caine explained | Potential Chapter 5 | What happens to Charon? | 13 Best John Wick kills | Post-credit scene explained | Does the dog die? | Keanu Reeves on emotional ending | Is Chapter 5 streaming? | Movies to watch if you like JW | Will there be a Chapter 5?
