Embracing the Unexpected: On Set in Morocco
2018 marked my first exposure to the John Wick universe. It was a very secretive project, and I traveled to Los Angeles wondering what I would be working on. All I knew was that I would train Belgian Malinois for action scenes, but I had yet to learn who the cast was or what the movie was.
As it turned out, the work was amazing, the experience spectacular. We filmed in practical locations, including Essaouira, a beautiful oceanfront city in Morocco. We always knew it would be a challenging shoot, but some things were unexpected. We had a wolf spider in our villa, a tick infestation that ravaged us for 24 hours until the dog’s treatment arrived from France, and the sandstorm in the Saraha that delayed filming, to name a few.
Overall, it was a remarkable opportunity to work on the action-packed John Wick Chapter 3, and remains one of the highlights of my career. It was challenging, exciting, and exhausting. One of my favorite moments took place just before sunrise in Erfoud, Morocco. After eight months of training and filming, we were a couple hours from picture wrap. As the other trainer and I were getting our dogs set next to the lovely Academy Award-winning actress, she said, “On Monday, we’ll all be back in LA.” To which I replied, “Not me. On Monday, I’m flying to Lisbon.” After asking some questions, Halle looked at me, smiled, and said, “Jules, go get your life.”
Thank you, Halle Berry! Her words have stayed with me ever since - a beautiful reminder to embrace the unexpected, take risks, and pursue the life you want.
