With an effects-heavy movie like "Constantine," how do you keep from losing your character in the special effects?
Actually the sets were so beautifully crafted and so well made that the reality of the situation – the immediate reality around one’s self - when you’re working is just fine. It’s like being here, you know? And the costumes are great. I mean, everything is so real, the immediacy is so real that you try and live in that immediacy.
How was working with Keanu Reeves?
Just terrific. Just terrific. I mean, just fine. I know people want some sort of strange, interesting [story].
I don’t think he’s strange.
I don’t think he’s strange either. I think he’s quiet and very charming and nice.
What do you think about the theology of film? People are going to be talking about it.
On the paper it sort of has one thing and when we see it it will probably be laden with many, many others. So hopefully there will be a lot to talk about. I mean, it deals with faith underneath the good vs. evil. The faith that people have, and everyone has faith in something so hopefully we’ll generate some conversations about that.
Do you think moviegoers need to know the comic book to get the film?
I think that’s tough because I’m sure that when they put this together they thought, “Well, you’ve got to both try and appease the fans of the comic book, but appeal to people who don’t know the comic book at all.” That’s a very difficult thing to do and hopefully they’ve done it. I mean, not knowing the comic book I couldn’t speak for that. I’m sure there are probably some die-hard “Hellblazer” fans that will be outraged that some things have changed. On the other hand, there might be a whole bunch of new people starting to read the “Hellblazer” comics based on this.
NICHOLAS DOWNS INTERVIEW:
How did you research your role?
I talked to my family. My family is very religious. We’re from Iowa, just above the Bible-belt, I think. So I called to get some ideas. We’re not Catholic but I do have friends that are Catholic and people who grew up in sort of the Catholic church. So I play a church attendant, which I didn’t know exactly what that was but it’s sort of a pseudo-young priest in a way. Someone who is trying to make their way up. I also knew the storyline as well with reading the script and whatnot, from John Constantine and the “Hellblazer” series.
Were you familiar with “Hellblazer?”
Not so much really, no. It was actually really new to me. I didn’t really hear anything about it. I sort of equated it along the lines of almost like a "Punisher" in a way. I think it has a pretty big following from what you can tell by all the bloggers on the Internet.
Do you feel Catholics will be offended by the movie?
I think it’s hard not to offend people nowadays. I think anybody is going to be offended by anything. I think with this though, from what I know from just growing up Christian, I don’t necessarily follow the Christian religion now, but growing up and knowing that there’s the idea that there’s a Heaven and there’s a Hell. And it’s not necessarily the idea that Hell’s in the middle of the earth and Heaven’s in the sky. It’s like a different plane. You’ve got like Heaven and you’ve got Hell, but then it takes place in LA so it’s Hell LA and Heaven LA and that’s where the different parallel dimensions [are]. But I think it follows – you’ve got the Devil in it and you’ve got God in it and it’s sort of the battle between [them].
But we don’t see many angels or forces of good helping out, at least not compared to the evil in the film.
You’re right. It is mostly that. I think if we had more good, then I think it would be harder to have John Constantine do his job. I think the evil is there because that’s sort of the sign of the times. And who knows? I think they kind of left it open for a sequel. You know what I mean? And I think I’ve heard talks of a sequel.
Who does your character interact with most?
Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.
What do you do to help or hinder their characters?
Well actually I sort of… What happens is they see each other once in the movie right before – well, a couple of scenes before this and what I do is Keanu Reeves is walking into the church and I stop him. And then she walks up behind him and he doesn’t know that she’s there. They’re coming there to actually see two separate people and I point her out and then he realizes that she’s back there. So it sort of sparks the first interaction/conversation between them. So I’m sort of like the middleman. Like the yenta, I guess (laughing).
Did you have any scenes with Tilda Swinton ('Gabriel')?
No, I wish. I think she’s an incredible actress. She’s in the scene that I’m in and she’s sort of the reason why I’m stopping John Constantine – Keanu Reeves – from coming up. I’m stopping him from coming up because she’s talking to a priest behind me. And then I look back and I realize they’re done so I allow him to go on.
