10 Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About John Wick
7. Alfie Allen Was Cast Because He Looked Like A "Prick"
While casting Keanu Reeves as the titular assassin was a master stroke, and the further castings of stars such as Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and Halle Berry have all been inspired and proven amazing choices, one pivotal role needed the perfect star to meet the director's strict requirement of "looking like a prick".
At the time, one of the biggest "pricks" in popular culture was Alfie Allen's Theon Greyjoy, and the actor was cast for this unflattering reason.
The reason for such typecasting was that the creative team behind the film were worried about how audiences would react to the death of John's puppy Daisy, so having someone that they would hate on appearance alone was essential in making us root for John on his hunt for revenge.
This also made it easier for the team to push for the puppy's heartbreaking demise, as the studio had tried to suggest removing the scene from the film, effectively eliminating the biggest motivator for John to get back into the killing business.