KILLER CHARACTER ACTOR

When Scott Adkins Isn't Headlining His Own Action Movies Like "Boyka: Undisputed," He's Stealing Scenes in Blockbusters Like "John Wick" and "Ip Man"!

- PATRICK VUONG

There was something different about him. His powerful baritone voice sounded familiar, but the accent wasn't British anymore. The charming smile was the same, but his teeth were edged with gold, his once-chiseled jaw line now lost behind blubbery jowls. And then there was his ripped physique, which had all but disappeared under a morbidly obese body.

That's because Scott Adkins wasn't Scott Adkins anymore. He was the rotund leader of the German branch of assassins out to kill Keanu Reeves. Well, at least he was in John Wick Chapter 4.

Adkins' portrayal of the portly, poker-playing killer named Killa in the blockbuster was a highlight in a film jampacked with highlights. And perhaps the most impressive part of it all was that you'd have no clue it was Adkins under the prosthetic suit unless you had read about his casting beforehand. The English actor was so convincing as the overweight villain that the blogosphere compared his portrayal to Colin Farrell's turn as Oswald Cobblepot in 2022's The Batman. 

"I enjoy creating a character and disappearing into that character - what can I say?" Adkins said with a smile. "I'm a character actor trapped in an action star's body."

Despite the additional bulk of wearing a full-body prosthetic, the taekwondo expert said he was still able to do some jumping spin kicks while in character even if it's not shown on-screen. "If I start jumping up, you'll see it's a suit and it won't read real," Adkins said. "So we wanted him to be a bit like Mike Tyson, a boband-weave style [but as] a kickboxer." 

The end result is an utterly brutal battle between Adkins' Killa and Reeves' titular character.

Adkins said it was fantastic to work with Reeves, whom he described as amazing, humble and "the nicest guy." But what struck Adkins the most about the Canadian megastar was his improvement and evolution as a movie martial artist from The Matrix to now.