Production Companies Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, DC Comics (Vertigo), Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG., Donners' Company, Branded Entertainment/Batfilm Productions, Weed Road Pictures, 3 Art Entertainment, Di Bonaventura Pictures
That describes not just Hennessy but Constantine too – they’re not the heroes on a white horse. It’s a spotted horse. I believe Hennessy was really quite a priest, but still only human and eventually the demons, both inside and out, broke him. He’s seen too much and he doesn’t want to see it anymore, and climbing into a bottle is a good way to cloud your vision.”
Another of Constantine’s enduring, if strained, relationships is with the one-time faith healer and witch doctor Midnite, played with inimitable style and grace by Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated Djimon Hounsou. Now a successful businessman and collector of religious relics, Midnite honors the balance by operating an exclusive nightclub on a neutral basis, where half-breeds from both sides can mingle freely. “He’s strictly business now, that’s the path he’s chosen,” comments Hounsou, “yet you get the impression that he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. I love this character. Every time you meet Midnite, elements of his personality surface against his own will.”
Midnite’s true loyalties are as mysterious as his origins. “I believe he and Constantine used to run together maybe five or 10 years ago but when we come into the story things between them have changed,” Lawrence muses. “There’s been a misunderstanding, and a certain amount of distrust has crept into the relationship.”
Hounsou topped the director’s wish list for the part of Midnite even before Lawrence had his first meeting with filmmakers about helming the picture. “Djimon is an incredible talent,” he attests, citing the West African actor’s Oscar-nominated performance in In America, as well as acclaimed roles in Amistad and Gladiator. “He gives Midnite the kind of powerful and enigmatic presence the part requires but also a suggestion of sympathy. He ensures that Midnite is likable, even if we don’t know what to expect from him.”
One of the regulars at Midnite’s club is the vile and dangerous half-breed demon Balthazar, played with wickedly degenerate charm by Gavin Rossdale, frontman for the platinum-selling UK band Bush. “You hate this guy the instant you see him,” jokes Lawrence. “Balthazar’s so clean and pristine, so beautiful, just the opposite of what he is inside and Gavin gives him a great understated repulsive vibe. He takes on the character exactly.”
Adds Shuler Donner, “we wanted someone who was good-looking and suave and had more than a little bit of mischief in him.”
Fascinated by the script, Rossdale jumped at the chance to be in the film not only because of the story but “because of the caliber of talent surrounding me, people who set the standards.” In his pivotal scenes with Keanu Reeves, he explains, “Balthazar functions as Constantine’s tormentor and nemesis, so I played him as Keanu’s opposite. These characters dislike each other intensely.”
The most difficult aspect of the role proved to be learning Balthazar’s trademark one-handed coin roll, a feat of dexterity the guitarist admits took time mastering. “Your hands get a bit clammy after awhile,” Rossdale admits, remembering with a laugh that his first attempt in the early days of shooting involved performing the trick over a stairwell. “I said better bring in a good supply of coins for me and make sure no one’s underneath because I’m going to be dropping a bunch.”
Movie Database
In Theaters
