Ian McShane Reveals Winston’s John Wick Backstory | Ballerina Interview
ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim recently sat down with actor Ian McShane (John Wick, Kung Fu Panda, Coraline) to discuss his role as Winston Scott in the new movie From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. He talked about his role in the long-running action franchise, working with the late Lance Reddick, reflects on his legacy as the villainous Tai Lung in the Kung Fu Panda series, and reacts to Jack Black’s new “chicken jockey” meme.
“Taking place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4, Eve Macarro, a ballerina-assassin, begins to train in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma and sets out to exact revenge for her father’s death,” reads a synopsis of the film.
Ballerina arrives in theaters on June 6, 2025.
Jonathan Sim: So you’ve been in everything over the past couple years, I feel like, and I really love all of your work in the John Wick movies. Is there a dream role that you’ve always wanted to play that you haven’t played yet?
Ian McShane: You know, I’ve never had that kind of like attitude about saying, “I must play Hamlet.” Actors go, “I must play Hamlet.” Why? If it comes along, it comes along. No, I’ve been very fortunate in my career and John Wick, an example of that character when, I mean, we were all lured in the first one, but it was an independent movie. All I know is it was a very good script. Otherwise, Mikael Nyqvist and Willem Dafoe wouldn’t have been part of the original. It was a very tight, independent script. Keanu seemed perfect for that part. And so everybody involved with it. I remember it was like Thanksgiving 2013 at the first, the first one we did, we all went to New York. They gave us a great sort of Thanksgiving in great hotels. That’s how they seduced us to get there, you know, apart from the paycheck.
And we had a great time in New York for like five weeks and look, I was there a week, but I’m in the film, it looked about five weeks. And then I remember a year later, I was filming in Atlanta and it opened and I snuck in for the first morning to see the 11:30 show. I wasn’t filming till late in the afternoon. And I thought, “oh yeah, did a good job.” It was Chad [Stahelski] and David [Leitch], but Chad did most of the directing on it on the first one. And then it seemed a natural progression, number two came out. Then there was never a panic about it. It always sort of happened, and you’d wait for the call, you know, you’d say, “Oh look, we’re doing John Wick 2. John Wick 3. And then suddenly you’re up to number four, and then, you know, suddenly you’re in Ballerina with Ana de Armas, you know, and she’s lovely. And then we did the shoots for that. And it’s like, she’s the baby Yaga, John Wick’s the Baba Yaga. You know, and she’s seamlessly fitted into this, I think. And then Keanu appears and it’s part of the John Wick show. I hope people love it as much as they love the rest of them.
I’ve definitely loved it as much as the rest of ’em. Yeah, absolutely. And so, over the years you’ve gotten to work with the late great Lance Reddick on these movies?
Oh, Lance. He’d be here now. We’d be doing it together.
What was your first impression of him and how did your relationship working with him evolve as you guys made more and more John Wick movies?
You know, good actors, you just sort of fit in? I remember he came, I was filming in Central Park, and he stopped his car. He just said, “I wanted to say hello, Ian. I know you’re here”. And we, I said, “Hello darling, how are you? Nice to meet you, Lance.” And then we started doing our scene. It was seamless. I mean, it was like, we invented our backstory in a sense like that these people have known each other for like, you know, 30, 40 years before this started. I always thought he was like ex-CIA and I was MI6.
That’s what I thought the characters were. They met in some operation in Africa, whatever, or on something special or whatever. And he’d been brought across. Then when they retired from government jobs, they naturally, as a lot of people do, they go into the private business of assassination or whatever? Because what else do they know? I mean, it’s the fact the world seems to ignore where do all these people go when they finish their dirty ops or psych ops, you know, they go private, you know? This is how this is developed.
Now I also wanna share with you something because when I first got into movies, I was five years old. I watched Kung Fu Panda in theaters. And I remember thinking this voice actor for Tai Lung, he’s bringing so much menace to this role. And I’m wondering to this day, do children still go up to you? Do they hear your voice? Do they recognize you as Tai Lung?
I remember I had grandkids at the time, so it was really, they loved it. I mean, we had a premiere in London. I remember seeing a picture the other day when they were all little, now they’re all the university and they’re growing up. But then we all went to the premier together in London. I mean, it was funny, Tai Lung. And oh, we did the last one too. Tai Lung came back last year.
It was great to see you in number 4.
Kung Fu Panda 4. Which is very funny. Yeah. No, I mean, kids now, I don’t know. Wow, that’s been like 18 years or something since the first one. You were five years old?!
I was five years old.
It’s like 2008 or something, isn’t it?
Yeah, 2008. That’s when that movie came out. Yeah. I’m graduating college tomorrow.
It’s a good movie. And Jack’s still, what was his expression now he’s come out with, he’s got another one. Chicken…?
Chicken jockey!
Chicken [laughs].
Have you heard about the chicken jockey?
No. I never know what it was, but I know he’s a funny guy, Jack.
Thank you to Ian McShane for discussing From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.
Source: Comingsoon.net