Why Katia From John Wick 4 Looks So Familiar
Contains spoilers for "John Wick: Chapter 4"
When director Chad Stahelski isn't throwing John Wick (Keanu Reeves) around a room or into a swathe of very bad people, he's giving him a breather and letting him share the screen with a wild collection of characters, both new and old, in "John Wick: Chapter 4." Such is a day in the life of a man who loves dogs and goes through gun cartridges like we mere mortals go through Pringles.
One new addition to the world of Wick is Katia, a character described by Stahelski as being in the same "familial circle" as John from his early years. In the latest installment, Baba Yaga himself pays her a visit to bend some rules and take down his latest target. Leaving John literally hanging before calling in a favor, Katia rules her corner of well-dressed and dangerous dudes, including new immediate fan favorite Klaus (you'll know him when you meet him).
Such a tough job could only be handled by someone with a history of taking on fierce adversaries, and in this case, it's a cast member who has dabbled in fantasy and science fiction and lived to tell the tale. Well, almost lived.
Natalia Tena got a dream role as Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter franchise
The casting in the live-action "Harry Potter" films was pretty perfect across the board, including the addition of Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks. Debuting in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in 2007, Tonks married tortured werewolf and former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin (David Thewlis). While not as prominent a character as in the books, Tena certainly made her mark in the franchise until her heartbreaking exit with her on-screen husband in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II." In fact, her time in the franchise even came with a routine effect on her personally that led to some wild results.
Tena revealed that prior to every appearance she made in the "Harry Potter" movies, she would have vivid dreams about the world she was helping bring to life. Before filming began for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I," she told Hero Complex (via Los Angeles Times) "I started having insane dreams again. Whenever I start a Potter film, I get these dreams. The last dream I had I was in a war, and the sky was blotted with broomsticks and I couldn't find my wand," Tena recalled. "It was so intense. I always have mental, intense, war wizard dreams when I'm doing the films."
Tena headed south in Game of Thrones as Wildling Osha
An undeniable platform for a plethora of talent before it took a nosedive into a Casterley Rock in its final season, "Game of Thrones" had a series of stars come and go, including Natalia Tena as fleeing Wildling Osha. Appearing for 16 episodes in HBO's award-winning show, she played one of the few Wildlings that made it across the wall to escape the White Walkers — but she was thrown back into the madness when she became the protector of Brandon Stark. Like many likable characters in the show, Osha's time didn't stretch as long as others, and it didn't take long before her exit to figure out it was on the cards.
Speaking to Inverse, Tena pinpointed exactly when she got the hint that her time on the show was ending. "I was so excited in Season 6 when they brought me back. I'd been out for two or three seasons. They were like, 'Don't worry, she's gonna come back.'" Unfortunately, it was when she returned to film scenes with Iwan Rheon, who played the psychotic villain Ramsay Bolton, that she realized her number was up.
After seeing that she was only filming for two weeks following her return, it didn't take long to connect the dots. "That's when I clocked, 'They're definitely killing me off.' Because I only had my scenes with him, and it's very little to build on. So I was like, 'Okay, I'm dying.'" RIP, Osha.
She has a history with The Mandalorian as Star Wars character Xi'an
Checking off three of the biggest IPs in her career so far, after wandering around Westeros and appearing alongside Harry Potter, Natalia Tena had a brief but just as brilliant time in a galaxy far, far away, appearing as a Ti'lek in the world-dominating show, "The Mandalorian." Brushing shoulders with the beskar-plated protagonist, Tena played Xi'an, part of a team of mercenaries Din (Pedro Pascal) is forced to team up with in the show's sixth episode of its debut season. While she may have been recognized in other projects, here she's hiding in plain sight as an iconic alien species from the franchise with the lengthy lekku to match.
A species that first debuted in "Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi" in the form of Bib Fortuna and Jabba's slave girl that Leia (Carrie Fisher) briefly replaced, Ti'leks have become a common species that have made appearances in extended chapters of "Star Wars" lore.
Currently, Xi'an's outcome was left unknown following the episode, with the only character from that band of bad but potentially good guys making a comeback Migs Mayfield (Bill Burr). Since then, there has been no mention of Din's former flame, but given just how big that galaxy is, there's still a chance she could turn up somewhere else in the future to cause as much trouble as she did here.