Matt Ryan Opens Up About Saying Goodbye To John Constantine Again
John Constantine has had an interesting journey through live-action. Keanu Reeves plays the DC sorcerer in the Francis Lawrence-directed 2004 film, and although it takes some liberties with the source material, it has gained a cult following over the years. A more faithful version of the character was given in the spotlight in the NBC series, "Constantine," played by Matt Ryan. The occult detective's solo series only lasted for one season, even though the story it tells is pretty great. Although the show didn't find a new home at another network, Ryan stepped into the Arrowverse in "Arrow" Season 3, meeting Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) on the island of Lian Yu.
Constantine later joins the Waverider crew in "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" Season 3, where he helps the team go up against mystical threats. Although Matt Ryan isn't leaving The CW series, John Constantine will leave the team at the end of Season 6. The actor will appear in Season 7 as Dr. Gwyn Davies (via Deadline) — so it'll be interesting to see if the rest of the characters recognize the similarity between Gwyn and Constantine.
Matt Ryan recently opened up about saying goodbye to John Constantine again in an interview with TV Line ahead of the "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" Season 6 finale. The star explained that he's a huge fan of the character, saying, "I've read almost all the Hellblazers." That said, Ryan surprisingly confessed that this is "the right time for him to leave the show."
Constantine won't get a happy ending
Matt Ryan has played Constantine since 2014, so he's become accustomed to dressing in the typical coat, shirt, and tie combo — but there's one part of the look that he's excited not to maintain anymore: "I'm really glad that I don't have to dye my hair," he said.
Clearly he's had to keep dying his hair blond to maintain Constantine's classic look, but after Season 6 he won't have to do that anymore. The star revealed that the writers and the crew "did such an amazing job with Episode 13," saying that it "felt like I was shooting a movie because of the way we shot it." Clearly, however Constantine leaves the show, it's going to be big.
Does that mean the sorcerer will take a poignant walk into the sunset, or will he go out in a blaze of glory?
"The boldness of the writers and the directors and the studio [in] making it so bloody and graphic was really, really great," Ryan said. "I feel like the sendoff that they've given the character is great, obviously, within the context of the show."
But there was one thing he wanted when going into this season: "I just didn't want him to have a happy ending." The "Hellblazer" comics are notoriously grim, thanks to all the trauma and guilt that weighs on the hero, so it's appropriate that he won't get a happy ending. As Matt Ryan puts it, "Don't give John Constantine a happy ending! No, he's got to f—k it up!"