One of NBC’s breakout fall shows is the new dramatic action series Constantine based on the “Hellblazer” DC Comics property and developed for the small screen by Daniel Cerone (Dexter) and David S. Goyer (screenwriter of The Dark Knight trilogy). The cast is led by Welsh actor Matt Ryan who tackles the title role of John Constantine: demon hunter and master of/dabbler in the dark arts. Constantine’s soul is damned to hell, but nevertheless he fights the good fight to protect the innocent.
In our conference call with Ryan, he discussed what it is that sets Constantine apart from other comic book adaptations, how he went about approaching the character, and which character he’d most like to see make an appearance on the show.
Matt Ryan Constantine Interview:
You’re playing a character who people already know from comic books or from the movie. How is that different in your preparation?
Matt Ryan: “It’s different in the fact that there’s so much source material which is a great thing, actually. It’s different and it’s a great thing when you create a character because you start from scratch and you kind of build it from the ground up. But with this you have such amazing source material that you can keep on going back to that and keep on finding new things. […] So many amazing writers have written him and they all have their own little takes on him, so it’s great that you have the opportunity to have so much material in terms of viewing and keep on going back to.
With that wealth of material to dig into, was there one thing in particular that you really latched onto about John, like who he is and how that provided entry into the character?
Matt Ryan: “I think basically the history is obviously very important to any character. When you create a character, normally you create a whole backstory for him, no matter how big the role. I think that all the backstory that you get throughout the comics, all the flashback stuff, the stuff of his family, his sisters, his niece and all the aspects is fascinating.
His relationship with all the Newcastle crew is something that you can root the character in, you know? So that was kind of probably the most important thing for me is the backstory, really, which was something that you build upon from there.”
Can you take us a little bit through the casting process? How did you come to learn about this part and how extensive was the audition process for you before you got it?
Matt Ryan: “Oh wow, it was quite a ride to be honest with you. I was doing Henry V in London in the West End with Jude Law and the Michael Grandage Company. And at the audition – it was pilot season obviously, so there were a lot of auditions coming up – so Kate Dowd was casting it in the UK so I went in for an audition, did a tape, we sat at the table. I actually had really long hair and a big bushy beard. I can remember my agent calling me and saying, ‘Look, they really, really like you they can’t really see past the beard.’ I was like, ‘Well, you know, I’m in the middle of a play. There’s not really much I can do about that.’
What was my favorite – I’d been on a movie […]about four or five years ago or something, and I actually bleached blonde my hair for that so it was kind of a similar look. But by that time I think I’d already done about four or four tapes or something, you know, with different notes. I already had a conversation with Daniel [Cerone] and David [S. Goyer] as well via Skype to give me notes and stuff.
I kept on doing all of these tapes but still I had this big beard. And then I was going to kind of try and get a night off the play to fly over to test. But, unfortunately, due to some circumstances with a member of cast in the play, I wasn’t able to take a night off. So I kind of had to let that test go really, in a way. I think they used my tapes or something, but I think they couldn’t see past my beard. So I think everyone went back to the drawing board and started looking again.
And then they came back about a kind of week or so later and said, ‘Look, we still really like you and we want you to retape.’ So I retaped again and I ended up doing about six audition tapes or something. And I think one of the notes which was really funny was my agent said that David Goyer had mentioned that we really liked Sasquatch…he’d seen the beard. And, eventually the play ended.
I ended on a Saturday night when I would have the wrap party so to speak, of the play and jumped on a plane first thing in the morning, flew over. I think it was a holiday in America on that day so all of the hair salons were shut. I had to have a friend of mine come over and cut my hair. Then the next day I went in and tested and then went to the network testing process.
I eventually got there, man. It was quite a ride, to be honest with you. You know, it was quite a long process. It’s definitely the longest kind of audition process I’d been through. It was such a thrill then when I actually got the job, you know?”
How did you develop a different accent for John?
Matt Ryan: “I mean to be honest with you, because John’s originally from Liverpool and then he’d been in London a lot and it’s a comic book so it’s kind of up for grabs, you know? I talked to a lot of the guys about it, but I thought that the main thing that was important was for me to kind of try and get the essence of John rather than kind of playing an accent. But then I didn’t want to do something that was exactly the same as my accent. I just wanted to kind of make a kind of sort of nod to him, really.
First, I think I was in a play in London. I worked on doing this with a London accent for a while and there was something that just wasn’t sitting right with it. And then I started playing around with a kind of a Northern accent, a British Northern accent which is a lot stronger than the one that I’m actually doing now. And it kind of felt right because it felt like working class and kind of gritty and it was in the right ballpark. But at the same time, I didn’t want to just spend so much time playing an accent and making him all about an accent. So what I decided to do was just concentrate on the essence of the character and then kind of giving the kind of subtle nod.
I changed certain vowel sounds and just (decided) to give a node to him then. So it’s kind of a Northern accent based on some Liverpudlian sounds, but obviously it’s not a strong Liverpudlian accent. I don’t think that that would kind of be very accessible for a network show on television. But, you know, I’d like to think that there’s a subtle nod in there to where John comes from.
And, also, I’m from Wales but my accent isn’t exactly very strong Welsh anymore because I’ve traveled so much. I left Wales when I was 19 and John left Liverpool when he was younger as well. I kind of took that balance of if he’d left somewhere when he was younger, then he’s traveled and so I just added a subtle nod of Northern.”
Are there characters or storylines from the comics that spook you?
Matt Ryan: “My favorite is the Dangerous Habit one. That was one of the first I read when I first got the part. And there was only two and a half weeks to prep for the pilot and obviously I hadn’t read 300 or so comics. I can remember thinking at the time, ‘Wait, we can’t do this yet. I have to read every single comic before we do it.’ I didn’t feel that I was going to do it justice without reading all the comics. But the Dangerous Habit run was my favorite and, also, probably the most scariest as well, because the fact that it’s lung cancer and it’s a very human story and that kind of scared me quite a lot and was also one of the reasons why it was my favorite.”
Can you talk a little bit about your character’s relationships with Zed, Manny and Chas, and what’s coming up in the next few episodes?
Matt Ryan: “Yeah, sure. Well with Chas, Chas is John’s oldest friend and closest friend and the only one who’s been around for [a long time] and who hadn’t died, although Chas does die but he has an extraordinary gift so he keeps on coming back. But what’s great about Chas is that he kind of provides a logic to John, whereas John is kind of someone – he’s an addict. He’s a demon addict, if you like. He kind of provides a grounding to John. And also he’s helpful in fist fight as well. You know, he’s kind of the brawn to John’s brain. And John’s scrappy, you know? He’s not afraid to get into a fight. But at the same time, Chas could probably help him out in a lot of situations there.
With Manny, what’s really interesting is they’re almost like two gunslingers kind of standing opposite each other that need each other but they could shoot each other at any time. With this relationship there’s a kind of conflict there. They both kind of don’t really kind of want to be in each other’s company particularly. But they know that they to and that they’re both useful to one another. So I think there’s a really interesting kind of conflict there.
What we see with Manny developing is that John and Manny, Manny helps John and kind of how that relationship sort of develops is there’s a very interesting dynamic, actually…I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say about it…between them. After about episode four John and Manny their relationship takes a shift and moves in a slightly different direction. But it’s a kind of uneasy kind of relationship which makes for kind of a lot of tension and a lot of conflict.
Zed, she’s a feisty one, let me tell you. She’s great because she’s someone who gets in John’s face, doesn’t take any of his s**t. She’s not afraid to smack someone in the face when it comes down to it. She also has this unique ability which is very useful for John. They need each other as much as the other. But at the same time, there’s a chemistry between them which could develop into something more. She’s mysterious. She has a mysterious background.
What’s interesting about these two characters is they work together on some level but then they’re both reluctant to reveal each other’s past to each other. So, you know, there’s a constantly kind of looking out of the corner of each eye with each other which is really interesting. Then there’s the kind of sexual chemistry between them as well which leads to a really kind of fun play in between the two of them. That relationship throughout the series will kind of develop in a very interesting way, I must say.”
What character from the comics would you like to see on the show?
Matt Ryan: “Well we get to see a bunch of the Newcastle crew. We meet Gary Lester, we meet Anne-Marie. But I would most like to see Satan, to be honest, the first of the Fallen. But I think that would take a while for us to try to get there. He’s probably the biggest one, right? So to have that showdown it goes back to that Dangerous Habits one again. It’s that whole bit where you face the devil and it turns out to be holy water and all that. When I read that I was like, ‘This is awesome,’ you know? So, probably Satan.”
What do you feel sets Constantine apart from other shows of its kind?
Matt Ryan: “To be honest with you, I think it’s down to the central character of John. And that’s what made the comic books unique, you know? The kind of anti-hero, working class anti-hero, wisecracking street magician. He’s someone who sacrifices his friends to get what he needs, but you still love him as well because he has this compelling urge to save humanity even though he does it with a cigarette and a whiskey all the time. I think it’s him, and then in effect the relationships that he has with the other characters around him. I think that’s kind of what’s unique to him.
He really is an anti-hero; he’s not a superhero in tights. He’s a working class man that is for the people. I think that really kind of sets him apart.”
– Additional Constantine Interviews: Angelica Celaya / Charles Halford / David S Goyer and Daniel Cerrone
