Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne remembered Lance Reddick at the Hollywood premiere of John Wick: Chapter 4 at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday night. The magnetic actor, who was known for his exceptional performances in The Wire and John Wick franchise, died on Friday at age 60.
“Every time you were in his presence, he was such a special person, special artist, and he had a grace and dignity, and a passion for life and his craft,” Reeves told The Hollywood Reporter before the screening. “Just to be in his light and to be in his presence and get a chance to work with him, every day was special.”
Director Chad Stahelski also talked about the late actor’s impact in the series. Reddick reprised his role of Charon, the captivating hotel concierge, in the film’s fourth installment. “He just mentored us through the first day of shooting with him. He was so kind, so generous, and we still joke about it today. He’s always been the most collaborative, most positive guy I’ve ever met,” he told THR. He added, “As a filmmaker you look for artists that are going to be great collaborators, and he was the epitome of that.”
Laurence Fishburne echoed these sentiments, saying that Reddick was the “the heart of these movies in many ways.” Fishburne continued, “We lost our brother. But we made a beautiful movie, it’s the best of all of them, and I think people are going to love it and that’s what it’s about, right? He wouldn’t want us to not do this.”
The film was dedicated to Reddick, and attendees wore blue ribbons in his honor. On Friday, his Hollywood friends and colleagues shared touching tributes in remembrance of the late actor.
“A man of great strength and grace. As talented a musician as he was an actor,” wrote Wendell Pierce of The Wire on social media. “The epitome of class. A sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family. An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones. Godspeed my friend. You made your mark here.”