John Wick might be a ruthless killing machine, unanimously feared by even the most hardened criminals. But his sleek tailored suits never betray his brutality. In fact, as the "John Wick" franchise has seen increasing success, the hitman's gun metal suits have gained their own kind of cultural recognition, perfectly symbolizing Wick's stylish yet deadly methods. In the trailer for the upcoming "John Wick: Chapter 4," the suit even gets its own moment when Lawrence Fishburne's Bowery King produces a shirt and jacket and asks Keanu Reeves' assassin, "42 regular, wasn't it?"
Since the beginning of the franchise back in 2014, the John Wick suit has become almost as big a star as the man on which it hangs. Created by costume designer Luca Mosca, Wick's muted yet finely tailored attire was intended to project his grief in the wake of losing his wife, as well as being based on the sleek lines and deep grays of a Glock pistol. So, when it came time for some significant world-building in "John Wick: Chapter 2," screenwriter Derek Kolstad decided to expand not just the protagonist's backstory, but the backstory of his finery.
In the film, Wick travels to Rome to repay a debt to a past acquaintance. There, he stays at the Italian version of the Continental Hotel, a safe-house for the criminal underworld that tailors to its illicit clients' high-end needs. As part of Kolstad's attempts to expand the "John Wick" lore, the titular hitman visits The Continental's "Sommelier" — a provider of weaponry — alongside a tailor who fits him for a bullet-proof suit. And that suit-maker is actually played by a real tailor: Mosca himself.
The Man Behind The Suit
In a 2 Film Critics interview, Derek Kolstad spoke about wanting the film to "not only look good," but "make sense." Part of maintaining a level of realism between the outlandish gun-fu action sequences involved consulting experts. With the Sommelier scene, for instance, the screenwriter was given information on all the weapons and how they work from the film's stunt team. When it came to the tailor scene, however, Keanu Reeves had his own ideas. As Kolstad explained:
"The tailor in the movie really is Keanu Reeves' tailor. We had a Chinese tailor written into the script and Keanu said, 'The Chinese are good tailors, but the best tailors are Italian.' We did a screen test with his tailor, and [director] Chad [Stahelski] said, 'Let's go with him.'"
But Luca Mosca was more than just Reeves' personal tailor. He had designed the costumes for the first and second films at that point, and continues to work on the franchise to this day. In a Slashfilm interview with Kolstad, he elaborates on Mosca's cameo in "John Wick: Chapter 2," saying:
"[Mosca is] great, and he dressed Keanu in the first one, and he did all the design, the clothing, and they were trying to figure out who the tailor would be, and Chad had him read, and he's the tailor in the movie. I think it's so great. He deserves a little bit of the press because he's such a great guy."
Mosca's appearance certainly adds some believability to proceedings. His quick-fire questions about how many buttons John Wick wants, and how he wants the pants cut, are quite clearly coming from a place of experience. It's these little details that add to the majesty of the "John Wick" franchise.
Mosca's New Career
Luca Mosca, who grew up in Milan and actually studied pharmacy before becoming a costume designer, has spoken about being on-camera, telling Film Independent interview:
"I was honored that Chad [Stahelski] and Keanu [Reeves] gave me the opportunity. I was pretty nervous, but when the moment came I just did my scene and welcomed John to Rome as an old and respected acquaintance. Chad's advice was very simple: 'I want you to just act. This is your life, this is your calling.'"
Mosca enjoyed the experience so much, he's since acted in multiple short films along with the TV series "Placebo Heart." But perhaps the coolest part of the whole thing is that the designer confirmed the bullet-proof material he sews into John Wick's three-piece suit in the movie is actually a real thing. In our interview with Mosca, he explains that bulletproof suits are "worn by many people in government, and other high profile people." Of course, the material in the film is not the real thing, but it's another interesting detail that adds to the cinematic realism of the franchise. While the films clearly don't adhere to reality too closely, including realistic elements such as this just adds layers to the saga that help expand the story behind Baba Yaga.
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The post Keanu Reeves Called In His Real-Life Tailor To Fill The Role For John Wick 2 appeared first on /Film.
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