Jenna Coleman Says Neil Gaiman Is “Really Behind” Johanna Constantine ‘The Sandman’ Spinoff, Talks First Major Film Role in ‘Klokkenluider’

Here are some of the main takeaways from this great interview:

Jenna Coleman will be attending the premiere of her new film, Klokkenluider, at the London Film Festival on Saturday.

She was made aware of all the calls for Johanna Constantine to get her own spinoff show, by none other than Neil Gaiman himself!

When asked if it is a coincidence that the announcement of a Constantine film sequel occurred soon after The Sandman came out, Jenna said:

Here is what Jenna says about Klokkenluider:

When asked if she would do more films in future, Jenna said:

And finally, when asked about whether she is excited for Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, she said:

I think there aren't many interviews in which Jenna talks about so many different projects all at once. Klokkenluider, Wilderness, Sandman, a possible Johanna Constantine spinoff, and Doctor Who.

A lovely new interview with Jenna Coleman about Klokkenluider, Sandman, Wilderness, and Doctor Who!

Let's talk about how fantastic Jenna Coleman was as Johanna Constantine and Lady Johanna Constantine in The Sandman!

Be warned: spoilers! But as it has been 2 weeks since it has come to Netflix, I hope most of you will have had the chance to see it by now. And if not; what are you waiting for?

This is a very unique role, the likes of which Jenna has never played before. Which makes it all the more amazing to see with what ease she embodied both Johanna Constantines. In the roles, she has such a powerful presence, she commands the screen, she immediately captures your attention and interest, and never lets go of it. She has such a lasting impression!

Just from the way she looks at other characters, you can immediately see who the boss is. It doesn't matter if you are an immortal. It doesn't matter if you are an Endless, the Lord of Dreams. It doesn't even matter if you are a demon from Hell twice her size. She knows she can, and will send you back to Hell if there is a profit to be made. Jenna really embodies the badass you really don't want to mess with.

Her reactions to meeting Dream, or performing the exorcism on the princess and her fiance (who turns out to be a demon) really showcase her amazing talent. She's tough, foul-mouthed, not impressable, and above all, incredibly awesome! I don't think anyone could look even remotely as cool as Jenna in the role of Johanna when saying the likes of "Get in line bruv, can't keep God waiting!", "Jesus fuck", or "Run along and fuck off back to hell", to name a few.

But what is brilliant about the way episode 3, "Dream a Little, Dream of Me" is told, is that we also get to see who Johanna really is, underneath all that defensive armor of deflection, badassery, and swearing. Once again, a single frame is enough for Jenna to show how strongly the trauma of the Newcastle incident affected Johanna:

Jenna also showed her acting ability through the way she set up her characters, not only in the way they interacted with others, how they carry themselves, how they style themselves, but also how they speak. Jenna always develops unique ways of speaking for all of her characters, and for The Sandman she took on a deeper pitch, to correspond to Johanna's history of smoking. She also distinguished between Johanna in the present day, and her memories of the Newcastle incident. Her story starts off with her in London working-class roots, and so she has a Cockney accent in all the flashbacks. But we learn that she has since moved up the ranks, earns money for herself, is trusted even by the Royal Family, and wears very fashionable clothes. To mark this difference, Jenna moulded present-day Johanna's accent to be posher, with only little traces of her Cockney roots left.

Not only does Jenna brilliantly portray Johanna's tough mask that she wears in public, she also depicts her soft true feelings. You can see the fear in her eyes when she knows she must meet Rachel again, the relief of reuniting with her on more or less good terms, followed by her despair when she sees how Rachel collapses into a mound of sand, and is actually on the verge of death. We see how this triggers a very different response from Johanna. She has come to understand Dream, and has accepted that there are things that she cannot do herself. And it is this realization that enables her to be so influential for Dream, for her message to him to resonate so well.

Jenna's portrayal of the complex range of Johanna Constantine is amazing throughout all her numerous traits. Jenna has yet again shown what an incredibly versatile actress she is. She is working class in the flashbacks. She is cool and tough when necessary. She is sensitive and emotional when necessary. She has such an amazing, and such powerful backstory.

Similar statements can also be made about Jenna's portrayal of Lady Johanna Constantine in The sandman episode 5 (The Sound of her Wings), even though we have only seen it very briefly so far. She yet again developed a unique way of speaking for the role. She is also very confident, but of a different nature; she still wants to have bodyguards supporting her in the direction that works for them.

The dedication Jenna brings to this role is truly amazing. She only had a major role in one episode, one small role in another, and tiny appearance otherwise. But she still went to so much effort to make each character unique, and stand out. Her performances cover a large plethora of not only characters, but character traits as well. Jenna portrays it all so effortlessly and convincingly. It is always amazing to watch how vividly she brings her characters to life.

I gladly join the chorus asking for a new spinoff show for Jenna Coleman as Lady Johanna Constantine! Jenna's portrayal of the role is so amazing and enthralling, that it would be really fantastic to see her again. Go and watch it (again!) right now!

@neil-gaiman thank you for casting Jenna in these roles.

-Neil Gaiman

The Sandman press roundtable at San Diego Comic Con with Jenna Coleman, Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, Tom Sturridge, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, and Gwendoline Christie.

There will be a The Sandman: Unlocked aftershow, in which the show's cast and creators will be talking about the show, in a way that they couldn't in the prior promotion for it. So, there will be lots of spoilers!

Jenna is probably going to appear in it, as this was probably filmed at the same time as the previous Netflix Geeked video we had previously seen, but I don't want to make any guarantees.

Jenna Coleman worked with a real raven, as she explained in this interview for IMDB, in which the cast of The Sandman explains the method behind the show's magic. Featuring Tom Sturridge, Vivienne Acheampong, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Jenna Coleman, Boyd Holbrook, Vanesu Samunyai, Neil Gaiman, and Allan Heinberg:

And another newly released interview from The Sandman cast and creators at San Diego Comic Con, being interviewed by Fandom Entertainment.

Featuring Jenna Coleman, Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, Vanesu Samunyai, Vivienne Acheampong, and Boyd Holbrook.

Be sure to watch The Sandman when it comes to Netflix this Friday!

A new interview with Jenna Coleman, Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, Gwendoline Christie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Tom Sturridge, Vivienne Acheampong, Vanesu Samunyai, and Razane Jammal about The Sandman!

This new article summarizes why The Sandman show which comes to Netflix this Friday will feature Johanna Constantine rather than John.

In summary, it is because Neil put John in the comics to attract fans of the character, but prefers his own creation of Lady Johanna Constantine. He wanted a great actress to play that part, even though Lady Johanna only appears briefly in season 1. She ends up having a more important role in The Sandman comics than John does. He also didn’t want to confuse viewers unfamiliar with John, and make the connection between the modern day, and 18th century Constantines obvious. Also, they didn’t even have the rights to use John in the show.

I would also like to highlight what @neil-gaiman says about Jenna Coleman’s portrayal of Johanna Constantine:

In this article, Neil Gaiman and David Goyer discuss the making of The Sandman. Of particular interest for Jenna Coleman fans are these passages, in which they discus how it came about for Jenna to play Johanna Constantine:

Also, the article points out something that I have suspected for a while, but that has never been indicated so far; Jenna Coleman didn't only film her scenes in the Sandman in early February 2021. She plays a more prominent role than would be possible to film in such a short time. She had already done some filming in November 2020, during a lockdown:

New The Sandman interview with Jenna Coleman, Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, Tom Sturridge, Vivienne Acheampong, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Boyd Holbrook, and Vanesu Samunyai for Jake's Takes.

New interview with Jenna Coleman, Neil Gaiman, Tom Sturridge, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Vivienne Acheampong, and Gwendoline Christie about The Sandman, for Yahoo Entertainment, at the San Diego Comic Con

New The Sandman interview with Jenna Coleman, Neil Gaiman, Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander, and Vanesu Samunyai at San Diego Comic Con for CBR

In this video, @neil-gaiman breaks down the trailer for The Sandman! In the particular part I have linked, he talks about Jenna Coleman playing Johanna Constantine.

Here is a brief excerpt from the San Diego Comic Con panel on The Sandman, in which Neil Gaiman talked about casting Jenna Coleman in the role of Johanna Constantine:

Shared by @romantashas on Twitter!

Here is Entertainment Weekly's The Sandman panel at San Diego Comic Con!