It is probably safe to say that anticipation for next week’s episode of Arrow is higher than usual. This is no doubt due to the fact that Matt Ryan will once again inhabit the role of John Constantine, who will soon take a trip to Star City. Kudos go to Arrow’s producers for being able to secure a guest role for the character after his own show was unfortunately cancelled after only thirteen episodes.
Variety recently caught up with Ryan and asked him what it was like to once again don the trenchcoat and if there were any differences in performance.
“There are certain things he’s doing, like picking up a sword and fighting with it, that are slightly different. And there was a period of adjustment as well, when I first put on the trenchcoat again. The first take I thought, ‘What am I doing?’ But after a while it was like, ‘Ah, there he is. There’s the posture. There’s the physicality of him.’ What’s great about that episode is that John comes into this Arrow world, and everyone doesn’t believe, or doesn’t know about, these occult worlds beyond ours, and John’s just like, ‘Look, this is the way sh— is.’ And he’s an arrogant bastard as well, so everyone’s a bit thrown off by him.”
They also brought up the subject of comics fandom. It’s certainly no secret that many fans had a positive reaction to Ryan’s take on the character and continue to lament Constantine’s cancellation, and this has not escaped him.
“It’s crazy. They’ve been some of the most amazing fans. Even now they’re hashtagging #BringBackConstantine. It’s a shame we weren’t able to find a home for the show. Those cult fans, they’re hardcore, you know. I love them. They’re so loyal. Just putting the trenchcoat on for Arrow, it did kind of sadden me a little bit. There are 300 issues of that comic book, and there are so many great stories to tell. We were just getting started, man.”
For initial plot details, be sure to check out the official episode synopsis below.
When things take a turn for the worse with Sara (guest star Caity Lotz), Oliver (Stephen Amell) calls in a favor from an old friend who deals in the mystical, John Constantine (guest star Matt Ryan). John Badham directed the episode written by Brian Ford Sullivan & Oscar Balderrama.
Arrow airs Wednesday nights at 8:00 pm EST on The CW.