John Wick 4's Klaus Cameo Hides A Wild True Story

Sep 09, 2023

One of the strangest John Wick 4 characters is Klaus, a Ruska Roma character who can only say "I am Klaus," and he's played by an infamous European.

John Wick: Chapter 4 has gotten praise for the franchise's exciting new characters and shock ending, but a strange cameo has gone totally overlooked. The John Wick series has become all about world-building, creating a network of assassins that runs across the whole world. And while previous movies see John visit Rome, Casablanca, and other exotic locations across the world, John Wick: Chapter 4 is his most globetrotting adventure yet. John goes to Casablanca, New York, Paris, and Japan all within the first 10 minutes, but midway through the movie, he's required to visit Berlin.

John visits Berlin to call into the Ruska Roma's headquarters. As John can't challenge anyone from the High Table to a duel unless they have the support of a known criminal organization, he attempts to form an alliance with the Ruska Roma. John's adoptive sister, Katia, tells John that the organization will support him once he kills Scott Adkin's character, Killa, the gangster who murdered Katia's father. Klaus unties John and takes him to Killa's underground poker room. The Ruska Roma member is one of the most unique characters introduced in the movie, as he's covered in face tattoos and piercings, and can only say one thing, "I am Klaus."

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Klaus isn't played by just anyone, but Sven Marquardt, a real-life bouncer in Berlin. All of those piercings and face tattoos aren't a result of hours in the make-up chair, as that's Marquardt's real, distinct look, and it's what has helped him become one of the most infamous bouncers in Europe. Though Marquardt doesn't have any major acting credits, lack of experience wasn't an issue as his cameo as Klaus is hilarious and totally memorable. The four times he delivers the line "I am Klaus" are all ridiculous in completely different ways, especially as he screams the lines between slapping John when he's tied up and can't possibly fight back.

While Marquardt's distinct look with his tattoos and piercings fit in perfectly with the inked assassins in the Ruska Roma and undoubtedly helped him earn a cameo in the blockbuster movie, that isn't the primary reason. Marquardt is the bouncer of not just any club, but the Berghain, a monolithic building on the outskirts of Berlin that used to be a powerplant. It was converted into a club in the 2000s and has since become one of the most famous and renowned techno clubs in the world. It's an impressive building housing multiple floors with different music and featuring a maze of staircases.

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Marquardt is arguably as well-known as the club itself, and he's a big part of the novelty of visiting the Berghain. The bouncer is brutally strict, and he can deny entry into the club for dressing wrong, talking wrong, or even smiling wrong. There are countless articles online about how to impress him and gain entry, and there's even an online simulator to test getting into the Berghain. Everyone from Conan O'Brien even to Elon Musk has been denied entry by Marquardt. That's what makes the cameo so great, as it's ironic that Klaus is essentially the catalyst for John's huge fight in a very Berghain-influenced techno club.

None of the cast, crew, or Marquardt has commented on why Klaus only ever says "I am Klaus." It could be some kind of aphasia, which is a language disorder caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls language and comprehension. Given that the Ruska Roma organization is made up of fighters and assassins, this could be a valid reason, as Klaus could have damaged that part of the brain in combat. If that is the case, it's a testament to the John Wick franchise being the absolute gold standard of world-building.

However, it could have no meaning whatsoever and might be simply meant as a random joke, and maybe that's all he knows how to say in English. Or it could be a reference to The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as Ferguson once famously put on a German accent, pretended to be Klaus Röder from Kraftwerk, and proclaimed, "I am Klaus!" Either way, Klaus is an interesting character in John Wick: Chapter 4, and Marquardt makes him even better. However, the movie might lead to more ravers getting denied entry into Berghain, as the bouncer will likely now get "I am Klaus" yelled at him every night.

Currently splitting his time between Madrid and Chicago, Stephen Barker has been a staff writer at Screen Rant since 2020. Since graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor's degree in Film, Television, and Cultural Studies in 2014, he has written for numerous movie and music websites. Visit Stephen's personal blog, Quaranste, where he writes about guilty pleasure movies, his latest musical discoveries, and how he stays creative during global pandemics.