The Continental: Who Play The Twins & What Do They Look Like Out Of Costume?
Contains spoilers for "The Continental: From the World of John Wick"
Part of the fun of the "John Wick" films involves learning more about this world of assassins filled with colorful characters. And it would seem having a distinct look and theme isn't something hitmen discovered in the 21st century. The new Peacock series, "The Continental," has plenty of dangerous foes who have it out for their targets. The first episode establishes some of the most dangerous of the bunch with the Twins, aptly named Hansel (Mark Musashi) and Gretel (Marina Mazepa).
They make an impression right off the bat with their matching styles, complete with similar hairstyles that would make Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from "No Country for Old Men" jealous. But they do more than just make a killer first impression. They are incredibly effective at their jobs, as demonstrated in the finale for "The Continental" Episode 1 — "Brothers in Arms — Night 1." The Twins are ultimately the ones to dispatch Frankie (Ben Robson), putting them directly in the crosshairs of his brother, Winston (Colin Woodell). There's certainly more of the Twins to come, and despite their signature looks, you may recognize the actors out of their costumes.
Mark Musashi is an experienced stunt performer
The "John Wick" franchise immediately separated itself from others in the action genre by placing an extreme emphasis on doing stellar stunt work. Director Chad Stahelski actually got his start in Hollywood as a stuntman, so it's safe to say he knew a few things before going into the first "John Wick" movie. In addition to having stunt talent behind the scenes, many of the performers have years of experience doing rigorous training, and while Mark Musashi normally does stunt work for other characters, he gets a chance to show his face for "The Continental."
He plays Hansel in the new Peacock series, and it may not be the first time you've seen his face in something. He's acted before in the likes of "CSI: NY" and "The Last Witch Hunter." However, he's mostly done stunt work for other actors. He's worked on "Avatar," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," and most recently "Fear the Walking Dead." Musashi is also no stranger to the world of video games, doing motion capture work for "The Last of Us" and "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End."
The stunts required in "The Continental" should come second nature to Musashi, who plays off exceptionally well off his co-star Marina Mazepa. They're not twins in real life, but both of their first and last names begin with "M," so that's kind of fun.
Marina Mazepa rose to fame as a contortionist
Similarly to Mark Musashi, Marina Mazepa doesn't have much experience showing her face in film and TV, but she still has ample expertise that makes her well-suited for the world of "John Wick." She first rose to fame as a contestant on "America's Got Talent." She astounded the judges with her work as a contortionist, bending her body into all kinds of shapes. She may have been eliminated in the quarterfinals, but Hollywood took notice.
It wasn't long until she showed off her abilities on a much larger scale, and horror fans may be delighted to hear that Mazepa was the physical performer for Gabriel in "Malignant." Yes, she's responsible for the contortion work Gabriel demonstrates in the infamous jail scene. Director James Wan specifically sought her out after seeing her on "America's Got Talent," and Mazepa spoke with Fangoria about bringing such a unique entity to life, "I began to realize that Gabriel is a very complicated person. He had to feel like a real living being for it to work, so I thought about how he would kill and react to others, how he would turn or snap at someone. It was definitely an interesting process to copy my movements and my natural instincts and then doing all of those things backward."
With such interesting skills, it's no wonder Musashi and Mazepa got noticed to work on "The Continental." Hopefully, the miniseries opens even more doors for them.