Lance Reddick ‘wanted a career like Meryl Streep’s’ – but did John Wick instead

Lance was so impressed by the pilot scripts for John Wick and Resident Evil he had to get involved (Picture: Getty)

Although best known for his roles in The Wire and Fringe, Lance Reddick has since moved to the big screen to star in the John Wick franchise alongside Keanu Reeves.

Now he’s doing another switch, and uncovering America’s most shocking secrets for his new TV show on Sky.

We chatted to him about The Wire’s ‘surreal’ success and what inspired him to sign up for Resident Evil.

You’re uncovering America’s mysteries in Book Of Secrets… anything shock you?

A bunch of stuff. The Martin Luther King episode – there’s so much I didn’t know.

The episode about the Nazis and their obsession with religious artefacts and their sort of quasi-religious obsession with those objects giving them power also really surprised me.

The Wire could have its own documentary series in the future, such is its importance…

It’s still a little surreal – when we were shooting it we were in that great show, which nobody was watching.

A lot of its success had to do with the DVD explosion and people sharing the show. It was big in Sweden and the UK long before it became big in the States.

The John Wick cast are currently on set filming the fourth movie (Picture: Joshine/GC Images)

Now you’re starring in John Wick and Netflix’s new Resident Evil… did you dream your career would turn out like this?

I always wanted to be Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis!

But, by the same token, particularly in the late-90s, and when I was doing The Wire, most actors would consider themselves thespians and have no interest in doing TV.

But it’s still – as well as Resident Evil – the only pilot script I’ve read where I thought, ‘I have to be in this show.’ It was that good.

And, as for John Wick, I thought it would just be a cool thing to do but I had no idea it would change the style of US action films.

Book Of Secrets With Lance Reddick is on Sky History on Tuesday, 9pm

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