Renowned BJJ black belt Dave Camarillo shared his experiences working on the blockbuster film John Wick: Chapter 4, in an interview with Eddie Bravo.
Camarillo, who spent 14 months as part of the core stunt team for the movie, described the job as: “The hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Having trained special operations forces and high-profile clients like Mark Zuckerberg, Camarillo was brought onto the John Wick project after the pandemic forced him to close his Jiu-Jitsu school.
Camarillo relocated to Los Angeles to join the film’s team, becoming one of Keanu Reeves’ primary trainers:
I was on that movie for 14 months, like from start to finish.
He was often pushing intense 12-hour workdays, six days a week, dedicated to preparing fight choreography and performing stunts.
Camarillo played several background roles throughout the movie, adding:
I got killed, like, 13 times total…
You need to die the most violent death you can think of.
Camarillo also highlighted Keanu Reeves’ dedication to embodying the John Wick character – noting that the actor prepares for six months before filming, undergoing what Camarillo described as a training regime “worse than a fight camp”.
However, he still had to take care that Reeves wouldn’t get injured throughout the shooting:
You have to come in and hit Keanu and make it look like you’re trying to kill him, but you can’t touch him.
Because if he goes down, then the production goes down.You’re petting a cobra.
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