Introduction
In the action film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, actress Halle Berry plays a pivotal supporting role as Sofia Al-Azwar, the manager of the Morocco Continental Hotel. Sofia aids John Wick when he finds himself on the run with a $14 million bounty on his head. One of Sofia’s most memorable traits is her trio of attack dogs that she commands using the Greek language.
Halle Berry lobbied hard for her role in the John Wick franchise and relished the opportunity to showcase her talent through the multi-faceted character of Sofia. Her remarkable performance, including commanding the attack dogs in Greek, earned her acclaim from critics and fans of the series.
Halle Berry’s Character
In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Halle Berry plays the role of Sofia, the manager of the Continental Hotel in Casablanca, Morocco. According to IGN, Berry actively pursued the role in the film after learning about the casting from her friend, director Chad Stahelski [1].
Sofia helps John Wick when he finds himself excommunicated and on the run from assassins. She has a fierce loyalty to Wick, whom she considers a friend. According to Entertainment Weekly, Sofia provides Wick with guns, a place to hide, and safe passage [2]. Their relationship is built on trust and their history as active players in the shadowy world of assassins. Sofia even puts her life at risk to aid Wick in his time of need.
The Dogs in the Film
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum featured two highly trained Belgian Malinois dogs named Jett and Jackson who portrayed Halle Berry’s loyal canine companions in the film. According to this article, Belgian Malinois are known for their intelligence, trainability, and athleticism, making them well-suited for demanding roles in action films.
Halle Berry’s character, Sofia, shares a close bond with the dogs who aid her in fighting alongside Wick. In an emotional scene, Sofia tells John that the dogs are her last connection to her daughter, cementing their symbolic importance. The film showcases the Belgian Malinois’ protective instincts and fierce loyalty through Sofia’s tender yet formidable rapport with Jett and Jackson. Their seamless on-screen teamwork required significant preparation and training beforehand.
Training the Dogs
In John Wick 3, Halle Berry plays Sofia, an assassin who fights alongside her two Belgian Malinois dogs. According to Collider, Berry took time after her stunt and gun training to spend time bonding with and training the dogs. The goal was for Berry to establish a connection with the canine actors and learn how to effectively communicate with them on set.
The dog training process involved Berry learning commands, hand signals, and other techniques to direct the dogs during filming. She worked extensively with the professional dog trainers to learn how to get the dogs to perform needed actions and stunts for the movie. This allowed Berry to play a skilled and believable dog handler in the film.
Through constant repetition and positive reinforcement, the dogs learned how to act on Berry’s commands. The training and bonding time enabled seamless coordination between Berry and the canine performers during the intense action sequences in John Wick 3.
The Language
In John Wick 3, Halle Berry’s character Sofia speaks to her two dogs using commands in Greek. Though Sofia is fluent in both English and Arabic, as noted on the John Wick Fandom site, she chose to train her dogs using Greek words and phrases [1]. This likely helped Sofia easily distinguish between her own conversations with other people in English/Arabic, and her direct commands to the dogs in a separate language.
Having a unique language for dog training is a common technique, allowing the handler to issue clear and precise directions that the dogs recognize and respond to on cue. Greek provides Sofia with a distinct set of command words to train her dogs, without interfering with her regular conversations in English or Arabic.
Why Greek?
In the John Wick films, Greek was chosen as the language used for dog commands for a few key reasons:
First, Greek has a long history and tradition of being associated with philosophy, thought, and strategy. Using an ancient language like Greek evokes intellect and precision, fitting for the meticulous training of the dogs (Source).
Second, Greek mythology featured many tales of heroes and their loyal companions. By using Greek, the filmmakers establish a connection between John Wick and the faithful dogs that aid him on his quest (Source).
Finally, Greek has been used historically for military and guard dog training. With its unique phonetic sounds, Greek commands stand out and are easily distinguished from everyday speech (Source).
Together, these reasons illustrate why Greek was an apt choice for the language used by Halle Berry’s character for commanding the attack dogs in John Wick’s world.
Example Commands
In John Wick 3, Halle Berry’s character Sofia speaks Greek when commanding the dogs. Here are some of the main phrases and commands she uses:
Ωραία (Orea) – Good [1]
Όχι (Ohi) – No [1]
Φάε (Fae) – Eat [1]
Πέταξε (Petaxe) – Drop it [1]
Some other commands include “Stay”, “Attack”, and directing the dogs during action sequences. Halle Berry gives the commands authoritatively in Greek, and the dogs follow the orders.
Halle Berry’s Experience
Halle Berry spoke fondly of her experience working with the dogs in John Wick 3 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. She described building a “real relationship” with the five dogs that played her character’s dogs in the film. Berry worked closely with the dog trainers to learn commands in Greek that she could use to direct the dogs while filming.
“It was a real relationship that was built, and there were five of them,” says Berry in the clip. “I could command them just like the trainers…” (Source).
Berry talked about the intensive process of developing trust and a bond with the dogs through training together. She praised how smart and skilled the dogs were at following commands, making her job easier during filming. Overall, Halle Berry greatly enjoyed taking on the unique challenge of working closely with the dogs and learning to handle them for the action sequences in John Wick 3.
The Dogs’ Performance
By all accounts, the two Belgian Malinois dogs, Jett and Sayuri, performed exceptionally well throughout the filming of John Wick 3. According to Halle Berry, the dogs responded very well to the Greek commands she used during filming. In an interview with EW, Berry stated “I worked with those dogs so much that after a while they didn’t know or care that I was Halle Berry. I was just their trainer.”
This demonstrates how Berry was able to build a strong bond and rapport with the dogs through consistent training. By the end, the dogs viewed her as their trainer rather than just another actor. As a result, Jett and Sayuri were highly responsive to Berry’s Greek commands on set, allowing the filmmakers to capture complex dog action sequences.
In another interview, Berry also praised the dogs’ trainers for their “unbelievable” work in preparing the canines for their scenes (Source). The seamless on-screen cooperation between Berry and the dogs is a testament to the rigorous training and preparation undertaken prior to filming.
Conclusion
In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Halle Berry’s character Sofia uses Greek commands to direct her two Belgian Malinois dogs during intense action sequences. This unique choice added an extra layer of authenticity and realism to the film. Berry took the time to personally train with the dogs and learn the proper commands, rather than relying solely on hidden dog trainers. Her dedication to the role resulted in seamless on-screen dog handling that aligned perfectly with her tough female assassin character. The dogs’ flawless performance was a testament to Berry’s training. Their responsiveness showed her level of control and the dogs’ high level of discipline. Overall, Halle Berry’s use of obscure Greek dog commands demonstrated her commitment to creating an authentic experience that enriched the film.