Shia LaBeouf and Gavin Rossdale star as Chas Chandler and Balthazar, respectively, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ Constantine. The anticipated movie, based on the “Hellblazer” graphic novels, opens in theaters on Friday. ComingSoon.net/SuperheroHype.com talked to LaBeouf and Rossdale about their characters and the film.
“I think that Chaz, when I read it and did it, he feels like the eye of the audience,” says LaBeouf. “He’s not the narrator but he is definitely the most human of all the people in the film. He’s the only one that doesn’t have this power connection with the other world. So yeah, he feels very human. I definitely think a lot of people, kids and adults will connect with Chaz because they don’t have that power or connection with the other world.”
LaBeouf got to work a lot with Keanu Reeves, who plays the title role. “When we are filming he is Constantine. I had preconceived notions when I walked in the door. Oh, ‘Keanu Reeves he isn’t a great actor. He’s just the “whoa” guy or the guy in Speed’. But the truth is he has one of the most elaborate resumes and has worked with the best actors in this business. When you really think about it Keanu Reeves is the all American super star. He is on that level with Tom Cruise. He is the biggest of the big. This is the reason I think I respect him so much is the fact that he has all the money; he has all the fame so he’s not working for either of those two reasons which a lot of people do. Ask Paul Walker why he is making movies, you know what I mean? Keanu Reeves doesn’t want fame; he doesn’t want money, it’s not that. He is working for respect. Another thing about Keanu is that he is an actor not a performer which is a big difference.”
Shia added that he got to do all his own stunts. “That’s all me, all that stuff was 100% me. In fact there was no stunt guy for me. I feel like if you’re going to do a stunt and you’re in the movie and its your last day… I’m eighteen, I’m not going to get permanently injured by hitting a foam wall, why not? It was cool and it’s fun and I got to mess with ‘The Matrix’ stunt guys which was a dream for me.”
Rossdale said the great writing helped him bring Balthazar to life. “The words were so helpful and the words really jumped off the page for me. This iconic thing of being an emissary of Satan…what is Satan? He’s the dark force, the evil force we’re familiar with but we’ve never seen. So, I was figuring this guy was without conscious, without a care, incredibly greasily smoothly confident. He’s a salesman trying to get people’s souls and I just tried to imagine someone who enjoyed other people’s pain. And it didn’t effect me, maybe gave me pleasure. It was that subhuman removed state, was how it became the idea of being so playful with Keanu’s John Constantine.”
Gavin had to sit through long makeup sessions for the role. “I had to be there at 4AM…. and it was 4 ½ hours but there was something… first of all I couldn’t complain because I had a team of people around me doing it. We could all complain together but moaning about it seemed ridiculous so I didn’t say anything about that. But there was something about it that really helped because it really constricted my face because they basically put it on one side of my face and there was something about the constriction of that, wearing a suit and the heat from a suit because I’m not used to wearing, literally being straddled by John Constantine and the gravity of John Constantine – some people would kill to be in that position, but I’m not one of them.”
Source: Andrew Weil
