Now considered to be a fan-favorite depiction of the character, Peter Stormare had to fight for his Lucifer design in Constantine. Stormare brought the ruler of Hell to life in the film's final act, visiting Keanu Reeves' dying titular character and preventing the apocalypse in order to not allow his son Mammon from taking over Earth. Though Reeves' take on the DC Comics warlock was met with some division at the time of its release, Stormare's Lucifer was well-received by audiences, but this may not have been the case had it gone in a different direction.
While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant to discuss his romantic comedy Food and Romance, Peter Stormare reflected on his time as Lucifer in Keanu Reeves' Constantine movie. Expressing his gratitude for fans' appreciation of his take on the character, he revealed that he had to fight for Lucifer's unique appearance in the film, believing the original look considered for the character would overshadow "what he had to say." See what Stormare said below:
But, you know, hopefully it will be made, and hopefully I'm God at that time, looking exactly the same, but with a black suit. I'm very proud of [my Lucifer]. I'm very proud of it. I'm happy that Jack Nicholson, I think, turned it down, because he didn't get X amount of millions and I got in instead. But really, I had to fight for that outfit, like a Chekhov outfit, like a theatrical outfit. Because in the beginning, they had me dressed up bare chested in leather pants and tattoos, and a lot of bondage jewelry and stuff. I said, "No one's gonna listen to what I have to say. Just put me in a Chekhov, like an off-white linen suit, and tar on my feet. I'll have a strange hairdo or something, shave my eyebrows, then people are gonna listen to me. But if I have all these moving tattoos on my chest, no one's gonna hear what I'm saying." So, it took a while, but I won, and I'm happy I've been voted No. 1 Lucifer [by many]. I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed of myself, but it's good. [Chuckles] It's really nice, it's really nice to have that support among fans, I really appreciate it.
Why Stormare's Lucifer Remains Iconic
Though Satan himself has been personified with everyone from Al Pacino to Elizabeth Hurley on screen, the DC version of Lucifer Morningstar has fewer actors associated with the character since his debut in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman in 1989. Stormare's Lucifer in Constantine was the live-action debut of DC's Lucifer and set a pretty high bar for his successors in the role, effectively capturing the inherently sinister nature of the ruler of Hell while also bringing a bizarre charm to the character. The white suit proves to be one of the more unique touches of the character, going against the dark and brooding portrayals such actors as Tim Curry memorably depicted on screen to tap into the complex nature of the being.
In the 17 years since the character made his live-action debut, the only people to step into the shoes of Lucifer have been Tom Ellis for the eponymous Netflix show and Gwendoline Christie for Netflix's adaptation of The Sandman. Though both well-received in their own rights, they proved drastically different from Stormare's in Constantine, which some comic book fans likely look better upon in regard to Christie's, considering it more faithful to the source material, while Ellis' doubled down on the charm of a being with no real inhibitions. With Netflix's Lucifer now at a close, Christie currently remains the sole actor carrying the mantle of Lucifer, though this may change in the near future.
Will Lucifer Return For Constantine 2?
Following the confirmation that Reeves would be reuniting with original director Francis Lawrence for Constantine 2, the question on many fans' minds has become whether Stormare's Lucifer will return for the sequel as well. Considering his take on the character is one of the long-standing elements praised for the film, it seems difficult to believe that he would stay absent from the follow-up, especially given both Stormare and Reeves' close relationship as well as their characters'. While audiences await updates on the sequels, they can revisit the original Constantine streaming on HBO Max now.