TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews
Continued: Ron Perlman Brings Big Red Hero 'Hellboy' to Small Screen
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How do you feel about having your likeness portrayed in merchandising, like the two-foot tall plastic figurine I have in my living room?
It took [Guillermo] seven years to convince the movie studio to entertain the idea that a not-that-well-known character actor could carry a film, much less a franchise. And then when the picture opened and we got pretty much 95 percent rave reviews, and then all of a sudden the [merchandising] ... I mean how do I process all these blessings? I sometimes can't sleep because it's all that wonderful and beyond anyone's imagination or dream.
What's up with 'Hellboy 2'? It's not slated to open until 2008.
Well we've gotta shoot it first. We're planning on going into principal photography in May, which means it'll probably be out a year after that, so summer 2008 maybe? I know it's gonna be a ball. Just to be on set with any movie with Guillermo is a ball because he's one of my favorite people I've ever shared air with. But particularly with this character that we have this special place in our hearts for.
Are there any plot details you can share?
I have not read the draft of 'Hellboy 2' yet. I kind of don't want to read it until Guillermo says, "This is the movie we're gonna make." Because if you start falling in love with something and it ends up not being in there, it's an adjustment.
I think those three will, from what I understand. Selma will always be there, Doug will always be there, and that's the main core of freaks -- Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien. Without them 'Hellboy' has no pals.
Do you all have a great time on set together?
Yeah, it's a really nice bunch of people; twisted funny people. I mean, Selma has a guy's humor. She's got that kind of Sunday afternoon football, drinking beer, guy humor. She leads the charge in third-grade humor on the set.
Well it must be impossible to be the life of the party after sitting for hours, getting made into Hellboy. Is that grueling?
It [is] if you're doing a part that you hate. But in this instance, it was all adrenaline all the time. When I spend the four-and-a-half hours that it takes me to get set and ready, I feel as though I'm kind of being regaled as you would ceremonially prepare a samurai warrior for battle, which is very ritualistic.
Well the very first film I did was a complete transformational experience in 'A Quest for Fire.' I was unrecognizable under four hours of makeup. I guess whatever you break out in, that's your niche. My niche was more transformational than representational. The same director gave me another transformational role in 'The Name of the Rose,' which was a great film and pretty well received critically. Right after that, I was on the short list [for] 'Beauty and the Beast.' Those three were right on the heels of one another, those were my humble beginnings.
Would you be open to doing a 'Beauty and the Beast' movie today?
Yeah. It's a question of filling the shoes. That was a show that had a lot of dignity and integrity, and I would never do a schlocky retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast.' It would have to be as good or hopefully better or bigger. But I love that character and I love the writing and I love the heart of that show.
Will they ever release 'Beast' on DVD?
[It is] coming out on DVD, finally, very soon. They're talking about it now.
Are you generally drawn to these sci-fi/fantasy roles?
I didn't set out to occupy that world, but I go where the work is. When I was younger, I really liked mask work. It made the acting somehow more specific and kind of easier. That's not the case anymore. But there's a good chance I'll be putting on the 'Hellboy' makeup until I'm 85.
You've got a lot in the hopper through 2008. What else are you working on that we should highlight?
There's a film that just played at the Toronto Film Festival called 'The Last Winter.' It's the first eco-horror film. Then I did a movie in England called 'The Mutant Chronicles,' which won't be released also until '08 because it's got this very ambitious post-production schedule. That was a beautifully written script with a great cast which I'm really excited about. And I'm about to go off and do 'Outlander' with Jim Caviezel. It's kind of a Viking movie.
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