John Wick director Chad Stahelski opened up about how he thanked Eva Longoria with a special gesture after she provided a financial lifeline to the original film.
In a candid interview on the It Happened in Hollywood podcast, Stahelski revealed he didn’t realise that the Desperate Housewives star was the one who saved the movie until after John Wick was completed and released in 2014.
“Funny enough, [co-director] Dave [Leitch] and I didn’t know anything about the situation until the movie had already come out,” Stahelski shared.
He explained that about a week before production began, John Wick faced a major financial crisis when an investor pulled out, leaving the film $6 million short.
As crew members started to leave and locations were lost, the core team, led by producer Basil Iwanyk, Stahelski, and Keanu Reeves, poured in their own money to keep the project going, but it still wasn’t enough.
“Then Basil came to us 48 hours before we had to roll, saying, ‘Hey, I found an investor who’s going to cover the gap.’ We didn’t think twice about it and went straight into production, only to find out nearly a year later that it was Eva Longoria!” Stahelski recalled.
When he and Leitch learned of Longoria’s involvement, Stahelski says they were shocked.
“We literally, the next day, called her up and took her to lunch at the Chateau Marmont to thank her. We just couldn’t thank her enough,” he said.
Longoria recently revealed for the first time that she was the mystery investor, telling Business Insider that she still receives checks from the 2014 film.
However, she regretted not investing in the entire John Wick series, which has now grossed over $1 billion globally.
