It’s becoming that the primary take a look at Jonathan Eusebio’s Love Hurts got here in the identical week as John Wick’s tenth anniversary. Eusebio, who’s affectionately often called “JoJo,” met Wick co-directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski at a martial arts college within the early ‘90s, and the 2 stunt performers turned filmmakers have taken Eusebio underneath their wings ever since. It was fairly a profession pivot for somebody who majored in organic sciences at UC Irvine, however it wasn’t utterly unexpected contemplating Eusebio’s two first loves had been martial arts and Hong Kong motion cinema. 

Eusebio then climbed the ranks, engaged on the stunt groups for options like Blade II (2002) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). He then gained increasingly accountability by means of roles such because the assistant struggle coordinator on The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) to the precise struggle coordinator on Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Avengers (2012).

Then, in 2014, he served the identical function on Leitch and Stahelski’s function directorial debut, John Wick. And when the Keanu Reeves actioner turned an surprising hit, the co-directors turned two of the most popular names on the town, making a rising tide for Eusebio and their different most trusted collaborators.

His ascent continued because the stunt coordinator on Black Panther and Leitch’s Deadpool 2, the latter of which was coupled with one other vital promotion as second unit director. It was then that Leitch’s producing/life companion Kelly McCormick planted the seed of Eusebio turning into a full-fledged director.

“[Producer] Kelly McCormick had a chat with me on the set of Deadpool 2, and so she’s the one who actually hit it house for me,” Eusebio tells The Hollywood Reporter in assist of Love Hurts’ first trailer. “We had been sitting on these director’s chairs contained in the tent on this hill, and after we had this dialog, our chairs fell out of the again of the tent and we virtually slid down the hill.”

Simply over two years in the past, Leitch and McCormick started to develop Love Hurts, previously often called With Love, for Eusebio to direct. And through the 2023 awards season, Eusebio realized he’d discovered the perfect actor to play the function of Marvin Gable, an affable Milwaukee realtor whose previous as a hitman comes again to hang-out him. 

“[Ke Huy Quan] was profitable awards, and he was giving all these inspiring speeches,” Eusebio recollects. “To see that impressed me to go, ‘Man, this man makes everybody be ok with themselves.’ I then noticed parallels between him and the Marvin character, and I stated, ‘This man is ideal.’”

Under, throughout a current dialog with THR, Eusebio additionally discusses how Quan’s personal historical past on stunt groups made a notable distinction in his first go-round as a correct motion star.

After I spoke to Dave Leitch for Bullet Prepare a pair years in the past, he informed me then that he was creating one thing with you in thoughts to direct. Was it at all times this specific venture? 

This property has been in my arms for a pair years now, so it has at all times been this venture. It’s what Dave was speaking about when he talked to you. 

Was there a earlier job the place you each knew by the top of it that you simply had been prepared for the following step?

Gosh, I don’t assume there’s one specific second the place I knew I needed to direct. It simply occurred over time, and when the time got here, both you’re prepared otherwise you’re not. After I bought into this enterprise, I began as a stunt performer, and I needed to be one of the best stunt performer I may very well be. Then I turned a [stunt] coordinator, and I needed to be one of the best coordinator I may very well be. Then I turned a second-unit director, and I needed to be one of the best second-unit director I may very well be. So I by no means deliberate to take a seat in the primary chair; it simply occurred, and I don’t assume there’s one specific second. All my experiences led me right here. 

After having John Wick kill somebody with a pencil in John Wick: Chapter 2, the lightbulb didn’t flip in your mind? There’s no model of that story?

(Laughs.) There’s no model of that. I can say that [producer] Kelly McCormick had a chat with me on the set of Deadpool 2, and that’s when she introduced it up. She was like, “I believe you need to begin eager about directing.” On the time, I used to be simply doing second-unit for [Dave and Kelly], and so she’s the one who actually hit it house for me. We had been sitting on these director’s chairs contained in the tent on this hill, and after we had this dialog, our chairs fell out of the again of the tent and we virtually slid down the hill. In order that was the primary second the place the dialog about directing got here up. 

I had this dialog with J.J. Perry not too long ago, however it looks like Dave and Chad Stahelski are each making a degree to open doorways for different aspiring filmmakers within the stunt neighborhood. You’re residing proof of that, as is J.J., however do you get that sense general? 

Oh yeah. Dave, Chad and J.J. are my mentors or older brothers within the enterprise. They’ve at all times had that workforce mentality, and as they go up, the blokes beneath them go up. We at all times approached stunt work, not simply by executing the precise bodily stunts, however by telling tales. “Why are we doing these stunts? Why is the character motivated to do sure issues?” They’ve at all times thought like that, they usually imparted it to the blokes that had been following them. 

You met Dave and Chad at Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts within the early ‘90s?

Yeah, I got here up in the identical martial arts college as Dave and Chad, they usually had been stunt guys. So I simply adopted these guys into the enterprise, they usually mentored me from then until proper now. 

So when did Ke Huy Quan enter into the equation for Love Hurts? 

It was proper earlier than the SAG strike, someplace close to there. The thought began through the awards season when he was campaigning for his Oscar. He was profitable awards, and he was giving all these inspiring speeches. So you would see that he’s genuinely glad and really grateful, and everybody loves him. However to see that impressed me to go, “Man, this man makes everybody be ok with themselves.” I then noticed parallels between him and the Marvin character, and I stated, “This man is ideal.”

He was an assistant struggle choreographer on X-Males, and he is aware of taekwondo. Was he forward of the curve as soon as he began 87North coaching? 

Once you’re doing a sure sort of struggle choreography there’s a sure language, and he already knew the language. He’s been on stunt groups, he is aware of struggle timing and he is aware of carry out on digicam. So the motion was loads simpler as a result of we already spoke the identical language.

Did you place him by means of the months-long course of that Keanu, Charlize Theron, Bob Odenkirk and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have all achieved? 

Yeah, we had him coaching for months earlier than we even bought into manufacturing. He’s so good. He is aware of what strikes work for him. He is aware of choreograph. Lots of it at first is simply attempting to get in form, however once more, Ke realizing the language already made every part loads simpler. 

Did you deal with one specific model, or did you combine and match a bunch of issues?

We simply combined and matched. We tried to make every struggle appear completely different. The character is a bit bit extra lighthearted, after which, by the top of the film, we’re going by his emotional state. He decides to turn into who he’s, so the fights are completely different. I prefer to make each struggle scene completely different, however it additionally corresponds to the emotional state of the character. And since Ke is so well-versed in choreography, he can do completely different kinds, no drawback.

Chad, Dave and J.J. all had rising pains beginning out, so how lengthy did it take you to seek out your sea legs as a director? 

Gosh, it was the identical factor. You don’t know do the stroll till you really do the stroll, and I’m so fortunate as a result of I had these guys mentoring me. They tried to get me to not repeat the identical errors or have the identical rising pains that that they had, however it doesn’t matter what they did, you don’t know till you might be in that chair. There’s just a few issues it’s important to expertise and see the way you cope with it.

What prompted the title change from With Love to Love Hurts?

This title is simply extra becoming. The film does happen on Valentine’s Day; it’s about various kinds of love. And the title simply harkens extra to the motion background.

I’ve at all times needed to think about that a few of these 87North or 87Eleven characters reside in the identical universe collectively. Did you embody any references or Easter Eggs to any of the opposite Leitch or Stahelski-produced motion films?

There’s some inspiration for issues, however I might reserve that it’s important to watch the film to seek out out.

With all of the stunt professionals turned administrators now, are crew choices getting thinner and thinner?

The neighborhood is so tight. Everyone knows one another, and I really feel like everybody will attempt to discover a approach to assist one another.

Lastly, I observed you had been invited into the Academy not too long ago. I had a wholesome debate with J.J. not too way back, and he believes {that a} finest stunt Oscar won’t ever occur as a result of it will require credit score being taken away from the film star and the director. I countered that the identical argument may very well be utilized to any technical class, however no person says the manufacturing design Oscar takes credit score away from the director’s imaginative and prescient for the units. Anyway, how do you see it?

Something that contributes to the film must be acknowledged as a result of each division works actually laborious. Everybody works lengthy hours. Everybody pours their hearts into the work they do, and it’s simply essential for every division to get acknowledged. So I’m all for stunts getting acknowledged on the Academy Awards. They do loads to contribute to the general movie.

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Love Hurts releases in film theaters on Feb. 7, 2025.