Richard Whittaker has interviewed Keanu Reeves and Andrianne Palicki for The Austin Chronicle. Keanu Reeves said the following on the John Wick (the character):
“I love John Wick’s grief and his power. For me, when I really first felt that was in The Lord of the Rings and you would read about Strider, and you’d think, ‘Wow, here he comes.'” When Wick kills, it is for good reason, and with merciless efficiency, which I think helps him be not the reprehensible, pathological, sociological killer that he could be. He’s just really capable.”
You can read the entire piece here.