Eva Longoria Saved ‘John Wick’ With $6 Million in Financing

The first “John Wick” movie opened in theaters 10 years ago and launched another iconic action franchise for Keanu Reeves that has since gone on to gross $1 billion worldwide across four movies. But it turns out none of that success would’ve been possible had it not been for Eva Longoria. Speaking to Business Insider, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch remembered Longoria putting up $6 million with less than 24 hours to go before filming in order to close an unexpected gap in the film’s funding.

“We were less than a week out and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing,” Stahelski said. “We were financing independently to get the bond, but one of the investors couldn’t raise the money in time.”

The filmmakers and Reeve had already put their own money into “John Wick” because they believed in the project, while producer Basil Iwanyk had maxed out three of his personal credit cards to contribute his own funds to the budget. CAA was helping the team put the movie’s financing together and in a last ditch effort to save the project offered some of its actors an opportunity to invest in the film.

“[Eva] came to the rescue and she provided the gap financing, literally less than 24 hours before we had to lock the doors on the movie and walk away,” Stahelski said. “Basil took us out to dinner [after filming], and we were laughing about all the bullshit that happened, and he said, ‘By the way, funny story, you know who gap financed you? Eva Longoria.’ We were were like, ‘What!’”

Stahelski and Leitch eventually took Longoria out to lunch at the Chateau Marmont to thank her for saving “John Wick.”

“She was laughing going, ‘I didn’t think it was going to work,’” Stahelski remembered, while Leitch said that Longoria would later tell him that investing in “John Wick” was “the best money” she’d ever spent.

Did Longoria’s investment ever convince the directors they should put her in one of the “John Wick” sequels? “She wants to for sure, she wants to do action,” Leitch said. “I would love to work with her, we’re trying to find something.”

Head over to Business Insider’s website to read for from Stahelski and Leitch about the 10th anniversary of “John Wick.”