Every good action movie needs a formidable antagonist. Fortunately, Diablo receives one in the form of the indomitable El Corvo, played by Marko Zaror. In the film, El Corvo hunts down Scott Adkins’ Kris Chaney and Alana De La Rossa’s Elisa, but it isn’t the bounty he’s after, but something far more personal.
Marko Zaror knows the importance of training for an action movie
Diablo dials up the action to the next level, as Zaror and Adkins put on a master class in martial arts. Considering the highly physical nature of the film, there’s a lot of pressure to be in peak physical condition for the shoot.
“I train every day,” Zaror said. “I approach a movie like the Olympic Games. As a martial arts athlete, I train the whole year. Then when I approach a movie, I adapt the training and focus the training on the character. This type of movie depends on performance; it depends on how in shape you are. Because you only have maybe one or two days to shoot the scene, there’s no ‘oh, we can continue tomorrow.’ If you’re not in good shape, not trained, and not very precise, then you just don’t get the scene, or you end up with a shorter or more boring scene. So the pace of the shooting depends on your conditioning.”
Zaror credits his long-time coach, Carlos Cardemil, for his high-intensity training regiment, while also adding that the right nutrition is paramount to getting and staying in shape. So, yes, he trained like an Olympic athlete to put on a beastily performance in Diablo.
How El Corvo’s weapon-for-a-hand changed Diablo
El Corvo instantly makes himself noticeable with his fake hand that when removed features a sharp blade. Adkins revealed that the original idea for this weapon-for-a-hand concept came from the film’s director, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza.
“There was a debate, actually,” Zaror explained. “There was a moment we were like, ‘Oh, let’s not put the knife, because it’s going to complicate things.’ But then we were like, ‘No, this adds so many elements to play with.’ With the backstory and all that, Ernesto was able to bring this knife into everything at the end.”
That said, Zaror understood that it could have been a creative risk that either worked or didn’t. “I know that these elements are sometimes scary for producers and everybody, but at the same time, those challenges are the ones that are worth it – to come up with something original, different, and new,” Zaror said. “The choreography at the same time, it’s complicated. Of course you have to deal with this [knife], but if you use it as a part of the strategy, you have an element that you can create the choreography around. Then everything changes, right? That’s why it feels more unique and different. So, yeah, I’m very happy that it worked out, though, and we took the challenge.”
He had a lot of fun with this villain
Marko Zaror is no stranger to playing bad guys. His character Chidi knocked the snot out of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4 and his bruising Chayenne pummeled Josh Hartnett’s Lucas Reyes in Fight or Flight.
When asked what is the one standout from El Corvo as a character that he’ll carry with him moving forward, Zaror said, “That’s a hard question, because every character is so unique and different. It’s such a journey. You get absorbed by this character, then you discover things while you’re doing it. But then you go to the next project, and you start from zero, from scratch. What I do with every character – that I did with El Corvo – is I first learn how this character walks, then everything starts ‘downloading,’ and I start understanding. I’m very physical, so I try to understand my physicality first, and that somehow starts connecting with my emotions. So if I understand how the character walks, then maybe the way he looks, or the way he sits, that automatically starts creating something internally, and the characters start appearing. It’s a very fun process.”
Like any good villain, though, El Corvo makes himself memorable in Diablo in all the best ways. Does Marko Zaror think there’s a chance the character could return to the screen, either in a prequel or sequel? “I would love to,” Zaror said. “We don’t have something clear, but we always will think about, ‘Well, this is a cool movie. We love the characters,’ so I would love to explore more of it, for sure. I love the character, man. I had so much fun with him, so I can play him many more times.”
