The Continental matched up Malignant’s contortionist with an MMA fighter for one of the best fights of the year

John Wick spinoff Peacock; Continental, He had a secret weapon hiding in the shadows. And in the third and final episode of the series, she was finally fired.

That weapon is Ukrainian actress, model, dancer and contortionist Marina Mazepa, best known as the physicist behind the memorable Gabriel by James Wan. Evil. In ContinentalGretel is half of the tough-as-nails assassin twins Hansel and Gretel. Their bowl cuts and faceless faces set them apart as promising adversaries to chill our protagonists from the start. We saw Gretel casually frolicking around the hotel, but not much else hinted viewers at Mazepa’s unique set of skills or how they might be explained.

All that changes in one of the final climactic fights, where Gretel takes on Yen (Nhung Kate) on the top of the Continental, kicking scorpions overhead and bending limbs in ways that seem impossible in nature, in a similar scene. of* Day Shiftthe vampires contorted. It is revealed by the director of the action Larnell Stovall (who believes Day Shift director JJ Perry as a mentor) told Polygon.

“We held back as much twist as we could because I wanted to have a story of its own,” says Stovall. “You don’t know what she really brings to the table before that fight. So I’m very grateful (the writers) kept his character. Then suddenly you are like everyone else; Oh shit, is this what he’s capable of? If you had seen it all the time, it probably wouldn’t have been so surprising.”

The fight starts 72 minutes into the 97-minute minute and lasts for four glorious minutes, starting with West directing the two to flash each other on the roof of the hotel before putting away their respective weapons and silently agreeing to fight at close range. .

Suddenly the two charge at each other, Ven goes for a takedown around the hips, sending her to the ground. This type of fight reflects Nhung Kate’s MMA background – she has competed in the cage, and in spades with her partner and fellow martial artist Johnny Trí Nguyễn (Give 5 Blood) – and it provided the perfect opportunity for Stovall and his team to juxtapose the two actors’ physical roles.

Photo: Katalin Vermes/Starz Entertainment

“You take each fighter, you work with them, you find out what makes them a fighter, and then you build on that,” says Stovall. “Once you have it solid, then you can collect it. Now they can dance, because you free the elements of health. You created a story, they agreed. And now that they are together, it makes it a lot easier for both of them to agree on the flow process.

Actors with an MMA background are a particular challenge because they are used to physical contact, Stovall says.

“They’re not selling moves for the camera. They’re trying to tear somebody down, they’re trying to cause somebody pain,” Stovall said. when you say: ‘Kill!’ and whoever is ready to grab their salad and drink their water, they want to do it comfortably. They don’t want a broken lip, or something broken.”

After Ven has tackled his opponents to the ground, the young man can travel higher again, bringing the fight to a stop. Stovall et al Continental the team effectively countered Yen’s strong moves with Gretel’s length, keeping Yen at a distance, leading to a scorpion overhead kick that gives us the clearest taste yet of Mazepa’s contortionist abilities.

While Mazepa’s experience as a contortionist added extra flavor to the fight scene, Stovall says her background as a dancer helped just as much.

“(The dance background) makes it easier to remember the choreography nine times out of 10,” Stovall says. “But we have to make sure they can sell the fight. And what is not like what three do, they count eight in their head. So it’s just a matter of finding a balance.

After kicking the scorpion, Yen takes the joven to the ground again and seems to win the fight – until the joven twists all his limbs and rises from the dead like a monster of horror, his legs completely raised above his head and rises. neck cracks, ready for a fight.

From there, Mazepa’s skills really shine. Yen throws a kick as the young man bends his head and neck seemingly all the way back, then holds his leg around Ven’s neck for a seemingly impossible angle. She kicks Ven in the face with a back somersault, sending her opponent flying to the ground before crawling up, limbs appearing everywhere, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

Image: Starz Entertainment

But he’s not over it, of course – Yen’s knife-wielding blocks with his hand, smashing with his leg and fixing the sequence on a tin roof, in an image that would fit best in a movie set. Gretel makes her way out of the pool, only to find Yen’s shirt burning on her at the finish line… And so ends the best peacock fight Containing

Stovall says he happily spent months thinking and thinking about the fight. He asked his team to play out how the two characters (and actors) fight in ways unique to them.

“Don’t just focus on kicks and punches,” Stovall said he told his team. “‘Don’t just focus on the latest cool shot that’s all on YouTube, OK? Make it mean something, make a shot over time. Make sure the shot is something that avoids something, or if someone’s in pain, let’s keep the pain consistent.’

Then came the best part: Mazepa and Nhung Kate working on stage.

They added their own flavor, and they loved it, Stovall said. “From there it was done to create a level dance. Thus, at the time, you believed that you were turned into this mischief.

“Kate, it’s like a buzzsaw. When he came, she goes. But Marina, who had a difficult and methodical way the whole way, was pleased to go; Hmm, let’s play. The love that entered into it, the pain that entered into it, because those ladies entered at that. There was a lot of physical contact. And I think it is necessary.

He took the stage by arguing that it was the best fight he had ever directed; Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins) vs. Raul “Pain” Quinones (Marko Zaror) in Undoubtedly 3. Why it is easy to see; Both stories are told perfectly through movement and physics, then slow down the action at key moments to let the story breathe, and pit a smaller and stronger fighter against a taller one, and both contain brutal fight scenes with gorgeous choreography. (Already, Undoubtedly 3 It took about 10 minutes to prepare for his show competition Continentalthere are four, but this was only one of many heavy finals for the Peacock limited series).

Image: Starz Entertainment

Hansel’s partner in crime, Gretel, also appears in the third episode of the series. The good part was played by Stovall’s friend Mark Musashi, a martial arts expert and wushu practitioner. His creepy performance as Hansel was praised by “serial killer” Stovall, who told Musashi his character was basically a silent version of Jet Li’s Danny from it will come outwho was trained by himself to attack the dog for the man who raised him, without any connection to other men.

“He was able to bring a lot of flavor to it,” Stovall says. “It allowed me to sneak some anime shots in, in a cinematic and designed way. So you know, I hope that some people take it; that is on purpose. “

For Hansel, his arc culminates in the spectacular fight scene in the Continental Pool Hall against Miles (Hubert Point-Du Jour) and Lou (Jessica Allain).

Like a Venus-versus-Gretel showdown, Hansel’s final battle breaks new ground in the full use of the cast’s various talents on display. Of course, Gretel’s fight still has an edge, thanks to Mazepa’s contortionism, which brings a new twist to the high-octane action sequences. With something like this, it is not surprising Evil it was so indelible. Evil It was one of the best surprises of 2011 in the movies. Continental It is one of the first plots of the year on television. Marina Mazepa, I can’t wait to see what you do next.

All three episodes Continentals: From the World of John Wick now poured into the peacock.