“I was so sure that this is what I loved to do, that there was no doubt in my mind that my life was going to be related to this.”
From Chile to Mexico to Hollywood – and back again – Marko Zaror‘s incredible rise in the action world reached a new crescendo in 2023. Known as the ‘Latin Dragon’, Marko’s scene-stealing performance as the main heavy, Chidi, in Chad Stahelski’s masterpiece, John Wick: Chapter 4, saw him duel on-screen with fight legends Hiroyuki Sanada, Donnie Yen and Keanu Reeves; meanwhile, back in his home country of Chile, he reunited with his childhood friend – the filmmaker Ernesto Díaz Espinoza – to produce and star in their fifth indie action film together, the deeply personal The Fist of the Condor. Now capable of shifting between key roles in huge productions and making his own movies the way he wants them to be made, Zaror has reached a sweet-spot in his career – but it has not been an easy journey with plenty of bumps along the way. At one point, he even considered retiring from the film industry altogether, and training to become a professional MMA fighter, until a timely conversation with Robert Rodriguez convinced him otherwise. He has since gone on to work with Rodriguez in many film and TV projects, including Machete Kills, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, and Alita: Battle Angel. In this conversation, Marko explores his roots as a Bruce Lee-obsessed kid in Chile with a dream of making it in the movies, to eventually ripping up the screen in one of the biggest – and best – action franchises in Hollywood history. Find out more about Marko Zaror on IMDb, and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.
SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by Five Deadly Rebels, a kung fu sci-fi scripted podcast from DimensionGate, available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and anywhere you get your podcasts. Five Deadly Rebels is a modern day retelling of Five Deadly Venoms, the cult classic 1970s kung fu film produced by the Shaw Brothers. Its classic kung fu meets the gangster genre, meets science fiction, all set in present-day New York City. The soundtrack is from Wu-Tang Clan producer, Cilvaringz. The season finale drops Wednesday 13 December. Five Deadly Rebels is narrated by Ian Tuason for DimensonGate – a fiction podcast production company.
Five Deadly Rebels website | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen to a sample of the show on YouTube | Listen to the trailer on YouTube | DimensionGate website | DimensionGate YouTube channel
Marko Zaror as Chidi in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).
Marko Zaror and Donnie Yen shooting John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) in Paris.
Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror on the set of Savage Dog (2017).
Where it all began: Marko Zaror stars in Kiltro (2006).
