the characters (2)

(Anakin McFly:) Hardened world-weary exorcist who sees the world through cynical eyes and takes orders from none but himself, armed with his own personal moral code, stubborn to the point of personal detriment.

He hates the system and how everything works. At the same time he knows that he can't do anything to change it, and this helplessness fuels his anger even more. Fortunately for him, the world is rife with evil halfling creature things for him to kill and/or send to Hell.

John is pretty sure that the world doesn't like him, for the simple reason that he doesn't like it and assumes that the feeling is mutual. Somewhere inside he feels vulnerable, hates that, and protects himself from it by going on the offensive.

He is defiant of authority - even if said authority happens to be God or something - and does not wish to be told how to live his life, even if stubbornly going his own way might be to his detriment. He would still rather do that than have to bend to someone else's will.

John thinks of most people as inferior individuals who know nothing, and who would probably go insane if they knew half the things he did. He takes some sadistic pride in this.

He doesn't just think that life sucks; he knows it.

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(LuxuriantN:) John's life (and death) experiences, as well as what he has seen, have hardened him. He sees everything as some kind of sick joke. He is not a cruel man, but has long since closed off his heart to the thought of redemption and a greater good. Even the God - which he does believe in - seems a manipulative force involved in a game of oneupmanship with the devil.

He mistrusts 'goodness' when he sees it, as he has no reason to believe it exists. His callous treatment of Angela is both a wake up call for her (in his opinion) and gives him a perverse sense of comfort - i.e. the fate that awaits him, awaits all 'sinners'.

Again - there is a period of re-awakening (a theme in Keanu's films??) - where he begins to feel for Angela and her twin's plight. Also, the loss of the few people who could ever consider as friends makes him re-evaluate his motives - his fight becomes more about doing the right thing than simply avoiding Lou's clutches.

John has always been noble, although he would not view it that way. He had no choice in whether he could 'see' or not, so he would not consider anything he does as a result of this as a personal characteristic. His sacrifice at the end is something he has always been capable of, he just hadn't seen anything worthy of such a sacrifice until that very moment.

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(Mike Carrey [Hellblazer writer]:) John Constantine: Con man; joker, thief…Magus.

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(Garth Ennis [Hellblazer writer, John's POV]:) "I'm the one who steps from the shadow, all trenchcoat and cigarette and arrogance, ready to deal with the madness.

Oh, I’ve got it all sewn up. I can save you. If it takes the last drop of your blood, I’ll drive your demons away. I’ll kick them in the bollocks and spit on them when they’re down, and then I’ll be gone back into the darkness, leaving only a nod and a wink and a wisecrack.

I walk my path alone…

Who would want to walk with me?

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(Hellblazer Issue 57:) Ultimately, John’s an anti-hero. Everything that happens to him usually has some tragic result, or, if he helps someone else, the price of such help lands in the lap of John himself. We love to see him stumble through life without enough hope to change him but just enough to so he will continue on the same vein: alone, and in desperate need of attention he won’t admit of needing.

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(Francis Lawrence [director]:) Constantine has a hardboiled detective edge and a punk Sid Vicious attitude; he smokes, he drinks and is sarcastic and wry. He's not a blond Englishman but the heart of the character, the attitude and the period he invokes is intact, as this was the most important thing for me to maintain.

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(Keanu Reeves:) I've read a few of the comics, and I really like the character of Constantine. I like his ambivalence, his vitality, his darkness and his anger - I really like his anger - but also his kind of underlying grace, his underlying love for humanity. And I love him as a figure who is sort of the ultimate [example] of the existential 'God is dead' [argument]. Hellblazer literalizes a kind of Heaven and Hell and that type of Catholic background, and Constantine's saying, 'The nine deities, the nine devils, all of you get out of here. Just leave us alone.' He's the ultimate man without all of the other kinds of entities. I love the dialogue, because he finds out something else in his quest. He finds out something about himself and his humanity. He is full of doubts. He doesn't win. He has to lose his life. Neo was a very vulnerable character. With Constantine, there's an element of greatness, although [in this movie] the great Constantine is kind of faded.

Constantine can see things and has knowledge about the way the world works that is distressing to him, and he tried to get a way out. He committed suicide, and now he's trying to find his way into heaven, into the Lord's grace. He’s a man who is trying to find his place in the world and come to terms with his life and circumstances of it.

He has practical magic. He can cast out demons; he has certain powers that he can use. It has a hard-boiled side to it, there's a mystery afoot. He's definitely less of a trickster and more of a magician. And a con man? Yeah, he's trying to buy his way into heaven. Is he doing what he's doing because he's altruistic or is he doing what he's doing so he can hustle? You don't know. There's a bit of a con man in there. He's sort of a mid-way person, between Heaven and Hell. He deals in icons. And he's a bit of a thief.

When I read the script and then familiarized myself with the work, I saw that what was important was really the essence of Constantine. That kind of hard-edged, hard-boiled, world-weary, cynical, fatalistic, nihilistic, self-interested [guy] with a heart. He's getting thrown, choked, stomped on, punched and hit. He brushes himself off and keeps going, which is great.

As an actor, it's fun to play someone who is wounded but fighting. I like his never-give-up attitude and I like his humor, kind of gallows humor. He's a hustler. He has an insight into the workings of the world and he just hates it. He hates the hypocrisy. He's also not the nicest guy in the world.

He's trapped, trying to be free and deal with the consequences of what's happened to him and who he is. I was just trying to find mine and his coming together. I didn't do anything external except look at the architecture of the comic and how Constantine expresses himself, he looks out of the side of his eyes a lot, or has his head cocked sideways with a kind of "what are you doing?" look on his face. And the way he looks at the world, he can see things that other people can't and this guy is very alone. The "friends" he does have are dying every time he gets in contact with them. So it's hard for him to be intimate with anybody. I think he is a lone wolf character.

He's a reluctant hero. He's a heroic anti-hero. I think of him as a hero because he's fighting against all odds. I like that he just doesn't quit, he's just like "fuck you all!" One of the lines in the film is: "God has a plan for all of us. I had to die, twice, just to figure that out. Some people like it, some people don't." That, to me, is how I think of Constantine. He's a man who is trying to find his place in the world and come to terms with his life and the circumstances of it. "Some people like it and some people don't" - he's kind of ambivalent. Constantine has been dealt a hand in life he didn't ask for. And he comes to terms with it. He's jaded and cynical, but hopeful, you know? He's seen it all.

There are consequences where he's not the nicest guy. He makes a sacrifice in the end, so hopefully there is something redeeming about him. But he's a hard man to love. I don't know if he's immoral. But it's something that he's negotiating with. He’s complicated. As a hero, he’s flawed. He’s damned to hell, trapped, dying, cursed and doesn’t like the way the world works. He doesn’t always do the right thing the right way, but that’s okay. Because of this, we can follow his journey and relate to him.

I love his wry sense of humor about the awfulness of the world, having to deal with that day in and day out and dealing what it's turned him into. He's kind of like a warrior in this world of shit, just trying to deal with everything. This is a guy who committed suicide to get out of this world and now he's trying to find his way into Heaven. There's a lot on this guy's plate. He's struggling with his own nature and he's struggling to find a better life. I like his fatalistic, cynical, pretentious side. Even if, deep down, he's a generous guy.

He's got a wonderful sense of humor. Even though he's destined to spend the rest of his life in hell, he's not afraid to insult the devil. I like his inner anger. He hates what's happening to him. It reminded me of my high school years…

I really love playing him. Again, his humor, his energy, his anger, his ambivalence and the fact that he's trapped. He's hustling for his life, he's dying in the movie - dying of cancer - so he has a clock. He's at a point where he's thinking, "I've got to get into heaven, what do I have to do because I'm not going back to hell." In the story he commmitted suicide when he was a kid, so he's damned and he's trying to get his way out but he doesn't know how.

He has a line where he's talking to Gabriel and Gabriel says "you don't believe," and Constantine asks, "What does God want from me?" Gabriel responds, "Faith and belief," and Constantine says "I believe, for Christ's sake!" and Gabriel says, "No, you know." So he's trapped and he's just trying to do what he can do. I just cast a demon out of a little girl, who am I doing that for? He's saying, "Come on, I'm helping you out, can't you help me out?" He's not getting the help.

He commits suicide when he was a young man, he's gone to Hell already, he's come back. For him, there's no religiosity, for him it's like the rules of the world; it's like Heaven and Hell, you can make these choices and this is the game that they are playing and were stuck in it, and how that impacts whether you are a better person or worse person, that is an aspect, a dialogue of religiosity, for a part like being the birth of compassion, the birth of love. And if you have the love of self and the love for others, that gets you to Heaven or Nirvana or a crossover. All of those aspects, there is a part of that in this story. There is a sacrifice of self, but at the same time, you know, John Constantine is out for himself.

And the character itself is so beautiful. I mean it's a wonderful role for an actor. There's a lot to do. He's a guy who's been dealing with issues of heaven and hell and the kind of rules of the way life and the world works. And he's not quite happy with the way the world works. I could relate.

I really like the character. I like John Constantine. I like him. I dig playing him so much. I'd hang around with him.

(Keanu Reeves:) I play this guy who doesn't have an altruistic bone in his body. He's very self-centered. Very angular, My suits are sharp angles. I got to work with a lot of shapes and emotions of shapes. I was doing really precise, straight lines. Investigating that shape with emotion. I was doing a whole thing of, like, mother equals round. Anger equals straight. I saw the heart as a round notion. The journey of this character starts out very angular and straight. By breaking him down, compassion is born. And he gains responsibility and compassion and a warming. Then he's open for an embrace.

I like Johnny. I like how he feels, his physicality. I like his haircut. I like his taste in clothing...he's cool. He's had his childhood wiped from his memory so that he can store other data there. He's like a yuppie gone berserk but I like him. He's got a good heart - like most of the characters I play.

(keanugirl76:) Of course Point Break is an action movie, but it’s full of a sort of “wild philosophy” as well. Its main character, Johnny Utah, is a young FBI agent who has just ended his training and he’s ready to face his job and all the duties it requires. He’s very determined to pursuit success; he’s self-confident, daredevil and enthusiast. He wants to reach his aim – that is catching a gang of bank robbers - at any cost. In order to do this, he has to undercover to infiltrate in their surfing community. But his friendship with Bodhi, the gang leader, creates an internal struggle in him.

He and Bodhi have opposite roles in society. Johnny’s is keeping control and order, while Bodhi’s is rebelling against the social system that he believes it kills human spirit and freedom. In spite of his responsibility as an agent, Johnny finds himself attracted to Bodhi’s adrenaline-charged lifestyle. He finds totally at his ease while surfing in the water or floating in the air with his new friends. Usually nervous, it’s just in the sea where he relaxes and turns “almost happy”. And Bodhi likes him, as he thinks Johnny is very similar to him. Intelligent, brilliant, his mind as sharp as a blade. And crazy.

So his investigations into the gang lead him to discover his hidden, wild side, and this conflict will be evident until the end. Surfing has proven to be a real revelation for him, in all senses.

On the other hand, he never forgets he’s an agent with a precise aim, and he’s so determined in this, that, thanks to his bravery and passion he almost risks his life in order not to let Bodhi escape.

But once his aim is reached, his wild spirit tells him that it isn’t the right solution, and maybe that his role as an agent may not be right for him as well. So he accepts Bodhi’s will.

This is one of the first movies in which Keanu plays his “classical role”, in which he’s always very good at - a character in conflict between opposites; reason and instinct, order and freedom, right and wrong things. But what is right and what is wrong in the end?

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(Anakin McFly:) Brimming with self-confidence bordering on arrogance, spirited, crazy and carefree and wild.

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(Keanu Reeves:) One of the things I dug was his name: Johnny. The energy from that name! I already had an expectation of this guy. Johnny Utah is a very physical, very competitive, very cocky character who's not sure if he's ever really been happy. He's always liked living right on the edge, but through his relationship with the leader of the gang, he learns a lot about himself.

As soon as Utah enters this scene, everything goes wrong for everybody. He wants to win. The essence of football, especially for a quarterback like he was, is to win. In the beginning, Angelo goes, 'You wanna catch the bad guys and be a big hero?' and he answers, 'Definitely.' He has no concept of what that means except from a football, 'win' mentality. But all of that gets torn apart. He gets confronted with moral questions. To get to Bodhi, he manipulates a girl in an evil way. But it's from innocence, almost. His innocence about the game of winning.

Utah doesn't understand himself a lot, and he hasn't experienced a lot of different things. He likes physical rushes and the way they unite with his mind. He's motivated, he's got a pretty good sense of humor, he's a smart guy, knows what's up. But all of that gets torn apart. He gets confronted with moral questions. He kind of deconstructs into where, at the end, the man really doesn't have anything. He just has to start again.

His sense of control is ripped apart by the ocean. This is a very competitive guy, a hero, and he finds something he can't do - he can't surf, you know. No matter what he does, he can't defeat it. So he's getting physically and spiritually and emotionally beaten up and then he's also with the people that he digs, you know, going through such extraordinary experiences, jumping out of planes and learning about letting go and about peace and respect...

(Keanu Reeves:) He's a cardiologist. He's an emergency room doctor. He's dealing with matters of the heart, he's a care-giver. I feel [Julian] had a lot of life experience and playing a doctor, I think that he's had an objective point of view of people and I think that that informed who he was and he's a sensitive guy. I think that if you pay attention to someone that you love, you're going to get them.

He does wear his heart on his sleeve, and it hurts when you do that. Always to be vulnerable is somehow the most enriching way of being, yet when it all goes awry, it’s the most painful way of being. But if you don’t do it, you end up all closed up. It’s a great role, and it kind of balances out the piece. Jack Nicholson’s character is at a place in his life when he’s withholding, he’s stuck in his ways. My character is the opposite: a man who is open and ready to be in a relationship.

I thought of him as being really well rounded and grounded. I thought it was the obligation of the role. And in that, I guess, just kind of relaxing and being comfortable with who the character was.

(stellala:) An odd take on the everyman character, torn between God (mommy) and Satan (daddy). I am a medievalist, I saw this film before becoming a Keanu fan, and I was so surprised to see such a character in a modern film.

Lomax has his virtues: he loves his wife and his mother; he knows what is good and what is evil; he knows that as a human being he has free will to choose good over evil. However, being a fallen human being (and the Son of Satan to boot) Lomax is sinful: he is vain, and he is lustful.

All this makes him a delightful catch for Daddy Satan, who plays his son's character the way Hendrix played the guitar. The script makes it clear that Kevin always knows which choices are evil, and which choices are good. However, after leaving his mommy's influence, under his daddy's tutelage, Kevin makes one bad choice after another. He is lustful: he chooses the red-head over his wife. He is vain: he chooses his career over his wife and chooses to defend murderers and pedophiles. His actions drive his wife to suicide, which drives Kevin to his final confrontation with his dad, when Kevin finally redeems himself.

However, Kevin is everyman, and traditionally, everyman faces temptation as long as he lives. When the film ends, we know that yet another cycle of temptation is beginning for poor Kevin, we really haven't a clue how this one will end.

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(LuxuriantN:) I believe Kevin knows right from wrong - but he also believes that one can use a dirty system whilst keeping ones hands clean. He isn't responsible for the behaviour of his clients - after all, the crime has already been committed by the time he meets them.

He finds it easy to ignore his conscience as it usually comes in the form of the voice of his overly religiously zealous mother. Any discomfort from the way he lives his life or makes his money is put down to his childhood and ignored.

Also, when his wife begins to break down, her very reasonable discomfort and worry is lost behind her growing insanity. Her fears are ignored as they come from such an unstable source. (I disagree with a previous poster who said he drove his wife to suicide - he simply wasn't aware that the things she spoke of were really happening. Had he known IMO, he would have saved her).

Kevin is also being blinded by ambition and lust. The case of his lifetime as well as the attentions of a woman who he lusts after (thanks to his dad) and the interest of his charismatic and demanding new boss, ensure he is very involved in a world where there is no place for his wife.

Kevin's eyes are opened at the movie's climax and we see, that even when faced with an easy choice of getting everything he ever wanted, the loss of the woman he loved forces him to chose to do the right thing. I also believe that this is the ultimate challenge and, as we know, Kevin does not like to lose. The only way to beat Milton is to deprive him of the thing he needs.

The movie ends with a period of rebirth (see what I mean? lol) and a 2nd chance to fail...

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(Keanu Reeves:) Lomax is an ambitious man - he wants things, he wants to win, he wants to know that no one can beat him. He just doesn't quite realise that his soul is on the brink. He is high on his own career trajectory and wants to feel that nobody can beat him. He even says at the height of his wife's trauma, 'I'll win this case and then I'll focus all my energy onto her.' He's made a Faustian pact with getting his ambition. There's this battle, a path of your life, the actions that you do, your internal moral makeup and how you can compromise that for ambition. Until there's a moment where you have to make a choice. Do you go all the way? Do you sell your soul for power and love of money?

He doesn't acknowledge the things in life that he can't control. He's an ambitious man, a moral man, but he wants personal and material gain. He's never lost a case, he's vain, and he's proud he's an attorney. He wants to win; he wants to know that no one can beat him. Kevin's a man who's very much about control, and he always thinks that he has the answers. Which he normally does have until he sells out to Manhattan's temptations. Think of Rosemary's Baby and Wall Street and Bonfire Of The Vanities and you have the feeling.

The guy's a shark, as well as someone who's in conflict. That was one of the things Taylor Hackford [director] wanted to get through: he was both light and dark, not to mention aggressive.

(Anakin McFly:) Dazed fellow, an introvert and a bit of a socially-inept weirdo who's not too aware of his surroundings, and yet someone who can hurt people, mostly out of avoidance, because he's someone who tries not to get too involved in things and prefers to keep his distance.

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(Keanu Reeves:) [Kip is a] mama's boy, who is something of a cipher, a professional lounger who seduces a girl with serious emotional problems. The question is how much he understands about the moral ramifications of his actions.

(Keanu Reeves:) I picture Klaatu as energy contained in a human body, so I was just very still and trying to be slightly sinister. It's like having a secret. You think you're in control, you think you're empowered because I'm sitting here or I'm tied up, but it's an illusion. Klaatu discovers his humanity during the film and that is a journey for him. So I played him as a man who has an alien inside him but is embodied by human flesh, and that changes him.

In the early part of the film he is more alien than human. I guess a large part of the story is about whether this entity, this alien, will change its mind and how it becomes more human and starts to relate to humans. So we decided that in the beginning he should just be very different. That involved having no natural human gestures or behavioral signs but appearing more flat and expressionless. He has a concentrated way of seeing the world. I found that physical aspect very challenging.

I tried to bring objectivity to the character and the way he observes everything around him. There is a kind of compression to Klaatu. He is an alien entity contained in a human body, and when he is looking out of that body, he is just looking out. But over the course of the film, he is gradually affected by the people around him and, he experiences what it means to be human, and to have hope. The way Klaatu sees Jacob and Helen come together during the course of the film has a big effect on him. He sees that it is possible for humans to change, and he starts to feel conflicted about his decision to allow the plan for their annihilation to go forward. He begins to think humans aren’t as bad as he thought they were. And maybe they are worth saving.

(Anakin McFly:) Practically brain-dead drug addict, sleepwalking through life.

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(Keanu Reeves:) I loved Marlon, the ultimate dropout. A heroin addict who likes to get stoned. He's pretty gentle and couldn't kill anyone. My guy was just harmless. Larry Kasdan wanted this guy to be beat up by the world, just kind of in a daze. Harmless and drugged.

(Anakin McFly:) whee