“You’re going to annoy the audience”: This is one of the most memorable scenes in John Wick… 12 years ago, Keanu Reeves struggled to appear in the film.

SPOILER ALERT! This article contains revelations about the first John Wick film (2014). If you haven’t seen it, it’s best to stop here to keep the ultimate surprise intact.

Before he became one of the most iconic characters in action cinema, John Wick was just a grieving man trying to get himself back on track. And yet it was a particularly tragic scene – the death of his dog – that forever defined the saga. A scene that no one wanted to film… except Keanu Reeves and the directors.

When the first John Wick began, the idea of ​​the hero’s puppy dying seemed too shocking. Many in the team thought that the audience would refuse to see such a moment on the screen.

“We were told that it brought him trouble. (…) They told us: ‘You can’t do that, it’s like Fidèle Vagabond. Nobody wants to see that on screen, you’re going to alienate the audience.’ (…)”David Leitch, who shot the film alongside Chad Stahelski, recalls in an interview Business Insider in 2024.

The scene that defined the saga

But Reeves and the filmmakers kept the sequence, believing it to be the emotional key to the film. This little beagle, Daisy, given to John by his late wife, Helen, was the last link between the killer and his previous life. The disappearance of the animal provokes all the anger of the character and becomes the starting point of the bloody revenge that created the cult of the saga.

He continued: “They did not understand that we were shooting a genre film. We’re fans of genre movies, and we know that difficult moments like these make for memorable scenes.“

To soften the brutality of the scene, Leitch and Stahelski chose not to show anything directly: the dog’s death is suggested only by a trail of blood leading to John, a sober but terrifyingly effective set-up.

Chad Stahelski I still remember the filming: “On the big day, Keanu played with a stuffed dog. He was crying. He was beaten. He looked terribly useless in his pajamas. Everyone behind the monitor must be thinking, “This is the worst idea these new directors are up to.”“

Keanu Reeves refuses an alternate ending

Some skeptics even suggested an alternate ending where Daisy would survive. But Keanu Reeves categorically refused. The actor firmly believed that the power of the film rested on this unbearable loss: “In the weeks that followed, an alternate ending was suggested, revealing that the puppy wasn’t actually dead. But Keanu supported us.“

Ironically, this scene, which was considered very risque at the time, has become one of the most memorable moments in modern action cinema. If John Wick He knew how to touch the hearts of the audience regardless of his violence (or mercy), because behind every bullet fired is the memory of a simple puppy.

The first 3 John Wick movies are still available to stream on Prime Video. Chapter 4 is available on VOD.