Watch “John Wick: Chapter 4” and it’s hard to disagree with the fact that Bill Skarsgård’s French accent is… far from perfect. But when you realize that the actor’s intention was to create a varied and almost cartoonish accent, it’s easy to see how the feedback the actor received wasn’t really warranted. Following the film’s release, several fans of the Lionsgate franchise took to social media to criticize Skarsgard’s “French” accent. “If I wouldn’t have read on twitter that he was playing a French guy I would have never guessed !” wrote Twitter user @allthelovelh in a lengthy thread, adding, “And when he was speaking French I couldn’t even understand what […] he was saying. And I am French […] like that was so bad,” they continued.
“They had enough $ to make 4 John Wick movies but not enough to train Bill Skarsgard proper French???” user @lo_works hilariously pondered. Technically, the Marquis is French, but he’s not occupied with a traditional accent. In his chat with the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, director Chad Stahelski made it clear: Skarsgård’s devious accent was on purpose. “Some people gave us [expletive] a little bit because it’s not a good French accent,” the director recounted. “I’m like, ‘Guys, it’s not supposed to be French.’ Like, he wasn’t trying to be French, he’s a guy that speaks French.” Indeed, the Marquis is blending a French and Cajun accent to create something that’s truly unique for the “John Wick” film, a creative choice that some fans actually appreciated.
“Bill skarsgard putting on the worst french accent you’ve ever heard and pacing around the opera garnier dressed like a shoujo anime headmaster for three hours yeah this is the best ‘john wick,’” shared Twitter user @olsencassidy.