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BY DAVID SERVER | Hey
all! David 'Typhon24' Server here, continuing CountingDown.com's coverage
of director Guillermo del Toro's upcoming comic book adaptation 'Hellboy'.
This time, we're talking with the film's resident flame--throwing female,
Selma Blair, who will be playing the role of Liz Sherman in the film.
Blair, recently engaged to Ahmet Zappa and bubbly as you can imagine,
spoke with CountingDown via cell phone from the set of her current project,
director John Waters' 'A Dirty Shame'.
CD: For the 'Hellboy' newcomers out there, could you maybe tell
us a little about who Liz Sherman is, what her powers are, and what role
she plays in the story?
Selma Blair: Liz Sherman is a girl who is a misfit, and she lives in
the BPRD [Ed. Note: That stands for 'Bureau for Paranormal Research and
Defense'] because she has pyrokinetic abilities that are brought forth
when she is enraged. And as a young girl, she blew up her family and people
in the very near vicinity when she was hit by a rock. So she's an orphan
from her own doing, she's kind of tragically flawed in that way. And so
she lives in the BPRD, but really wants to break away and be a normal
girl because she's a monster.
CD: How would you describe Liz's relationship with Hellboy in
the film?
SB: The relationship that she has with Hellboy is something she really
treasures; Hellboy is her best friend, it's the person she's really grown
up with and it's the only person she trusts and can count on. But there's
a chemistry there that I don't think she really wants to acknowledge at
all because she so desperately wants to be a normal girl and do normal
things and Hellboy is such an obvious outsider that she's just really
closed off.
CD: What was your initial reaction to the offer? What about this
story and this character made you want to take the part?
SB: Actually, I received a call from my agent and he had said that Guillermo
had wanted me for this part, and I was familiar with Guillermo's movie
'The Devil's Backbone' which is one of my favorites, and so immediately
I said yes, I would love to do this movie. And I had never read the script,
I had never even heard of Hellboy. And I was really not well versed in
the comic book world. So I had no idea, but I was really thrilled to work
with Guillermo, I think he's the most passionate director around. And
so I said yes.
CD: So when you got the script, did you look to series creator
Mike Mignola and the comic for inspiration for Liz -- did he give you any
suggestions, or did you mostly go to Guillermo and the script for that?
SB: When I got the script, I loved the script, and I met with Guillermo
and fell in love with him, and he gave me all of Mike Mignola's comic
books. And I really had to go more on the script, because Liz doesn't
figure so prominently in 'Seed of Destruction'. So it was such a relief
that I didn't feel I had to live up to some comic book icon, because she
really wasn't fleshed out very much. So Mike and Guillermo on set helped
me with that, but we really just got to create her and she turned out
pretty damn interesting.
CD: You said back in January that you were allowed some creative
control over Liz's wardrobe in the film -- that has to be a unique opportunity.
Was that difficult?
SB: It's always a gift. Y'know, I find more often than not that I do
get creative control of wardrobe, which I wish I didn't because I would
love to have someone just hand it to me, because this always leaves so
many questions. But with Liz, we had gone so many routes... do we make her
the girl next door? Is she fun and lovable, or is that creepy and fun
to have her with this tragic side dressed in this Gap kind of thing [laughs],
or do we just play it straighter with this girl in a mental hospital that
doesn't really go shopping for clothes. But really because she wasn't
so fleshed out in the actual books that Mike Mignola drew and wrote, it
was kind of a scary thing -- what do I do with Liz? She's not using her
fire powers [at the start of the movie] because she's so ashamed of them,
so she's kind of made the choice. So maybe she's always cold, so she has
layers on. She's a girl who finds her clothes wherever she travels, and
she puts them on in layers and covers up. Kind of nondescript, a little
bit gothic.
CD: Was it weird working with fire that, for the most part I'm
assuming, wasn't there on set?
SB: Yeah! It was, to quote Matt and Ben from the E! True Hollywood Story
today, "surreal"! [Laughs] It was one of the bigger challenges as an actor,
and I had to spontaneously sort of combust when there's no combusting
there! [Laughs] It really made me giggle as it's still making me giggle,
Guillermo really poked fun at me... The first time I had to blow up was in
my room at the mental hospital, and I'm having my dream and Grigori [Ed.
Note: The film's villain is the resurrected Russian Monk Grigori Rasputin]
comes to me and is reminding me of the death of my family, and I'm getting
all riled up and he's trying to provoke the fire. So I do, so I start
'making the flames', but naturally there's no flames, it's all going to
be [computer generated], so I'm writhing around on the bed and they kind
of have some strobe lights going, and so I'm doing this whole thing (and
I'm sooo gonna win an Oscar... ), and Guillermo screams out, "This is the
worst orgasm I have ever seen!" [Laughs] It was embarrassing! So I had
to sort of just... chin up. And get through it. So yeah, it was kind of horrifying.
[Laughs]
CD: Is it at all intimidating being part of a big epic
movie like this one, where a lot goes on in the post-production phase
and a lot of the time you don't know what the final project is going to
look like?
SB: No, it was not intimidating at all being on that set. Guillermo was
so loving and so passionate, and everyone I was very close with, like
Rupert [Evans]... So no it wasn't, with everyone it was actually a very tight-knit
family, everyone... all the animators and monster guys, we were all so happy
and in love with each other and comfortable that there was no fear, I
had so much trust in what they were doing. I really felt so at peace and
so confident with them. And it's an honor that they would let me be in
their project, so I have no fears of what they'll be doing and what my
part was.
CD: Okay, I'm gonna quickly run through some of the people you've
worked with on the film and if you could just give us some quick impressions
of what it was like working with them... first of all, Hellboy himself, Ron
Perlman.
SB: Ron Perlman is such an amazing interesting actor, and I really hope
that this is something that breaks him out a little bit more because he
is so deserving. And he really took such good care of me, he was a real
friend to me from day one. We hung out a lot, he was great... he's a very
funny, loving guy.
CD: Rupert Evans, who is making his premiere in American film
as BPRD newcomer Agent John Meyers.
SB: We were all so taken with Rupert! He is the most earnest, loving
young man. It was such a pleasure working with him, one of my favorite
scenes is actually with Rupert where we're really taking the piss out
of each other and it's such a pleasure, he's an amazing friend. The stunt
guy was like, 'hey, they're actually beating each other up, nobody told
me what's going on... ' And my face was black and blue, and Rupert was crying... [Laughs].
It was good, it was good -- Rupert's an angel.
CD: Doug Jones, who plays Hellboy's psychic merman partner Abe
Sapien in the film.
SB: Doug Jones is an actor who is mostly known in the world of prosthetics,
you know everything he does is really in that world. Yeah, he's an angel.
He played Abe so beautifully, it's heartbreaking to watch him I think.
And he has the most beautiful, beautiful prosthetics and makeup. I mean,
his creature [Abe Sapien] is my absolute favorite. I could not have been
more thrilled, so beautiful. Everyone's a fan of Doug. What a sweetheart!
What about Jeffrey Tambor! Jeffrey Tambor, my favorite!
CD: Okay, well let's talk about Jeffrey Tambor!
SB: Well goddamnit! [Laughs] Jeffrey Tambor is the funniest person in
the world. Next to my fiance. I'd like to compare everything to my fiance.
He's very funny, but not as funny as my fiance... But he's very funny. [Laughs]
I adore him. I've been very, very blessed with these people, I'm so honored
to get to work with all of them. I think they make an amazing ensemble.
And I'm not just lying. Seriously.
CD: And last by not least, Guillermo del Toro.
SB: I don't know what to say -- I love him. I would play a corpse for
two years for him just to be in his company off camera. I've never met
someone so passionate and so in love with their job and their family,
and he's been an inspiration in every way in my own personal life and
with giving advice. And I don't know what to say about Guillermo other
than that I cherish him, and that I think he is a truly an amazing filmmaker.
He's very supportive of the people he believes in, and I hope that I am
someone he believes him, because I need him on my side because he is such
a strong force. And Guillermo Navarro's such an amazing [Director of Photography],
I really hope I get to work with him again, it would be such a blessing... such
talented people, all of them.
CD: So this is really your first big sci-fi special effects movie
-- now that shooting is over and you've been through the whole experience,
is it something you would be interested in doing again?
SB: I would definitely want to do it again if Guillermo were the one
directing it! I mean, it's an awesome experience when so many people come
together to create something from so many different backgrounds creatively
that it can't be anything but awesome. And completely a collaborative
experience, and I appreciated it hugely, and yeah, I would be thrilled
to be a part of any great team like that again, but I can't imagine a
team being any better than the one Guillermo put together. So I've been
a bit spoiled, so I hope he works with me again, I would be too lucky.
CD: So on that note, if the film is as successful as all the
fans hope and know it will be, would you be interested in reprising the
role of Liz Sherman for a sequel?
SB: Oh, I would be very happy to come back for a second Hellboy movie.
Very happy. Cause Liz is gonna kick-ass in the second one!
CD: Hell yeah! Well there are a lot of Liz fans out there, people
love Liz...
SB: I dunno! I went onto a website that broke my heart. I never go on
these things... Guillermo actually almost kicked my ass for this, because
he felt soo bad for me... Cause I never go on these websites where they talk
and post... y'know, with these bulletin boards, Aint It Cool or something
like that, because I'm a real fan of Harry Knowles, we get along really
well, so I went onto his website, and it was horrifying what people said
about me!
CD: Yeah, the Aint It Cool Talkbackers can be pretty brutal sometimes...
SB: It was pretty horrific. It said 'Selma Blair as Liz Sherman... oh well,
maybe they'll fix it in post!' [Laughs] 'Maybe they'll fix Selma Blair
in post' [laughs], I dunno... it really, really bummed me out, I went crying
to Guillermo, because there was also a picture posted of me with Hellboy,
and he's obviously this big monster, he's red, and there I am looking
like a normal girl, and they said 'Next to an incredible freak like Hellboy,
Selma Blair looks almost human!' [Laughs] Those are really angry people!
So hopefully this website that you're dealing with right now isn't gonna
say that about me, because I'm very sensitive by nature!
CD: Haha, no worries... you should look into some places on the
internet with a bit of a more positive attitude, I think...
SB: Ok, well will you tell the Hellboy fans to kick the mean people on
the Aint It Cool News post boards?
CD: Heh, sure thing. So what are you working on right now?
SB: I'm working on a John Waters movie... It's a John Waters movie called
'A Dirty Shame'... so you can see where my head is. Couldn't be more different
than Guillermo's movie but it's a very very terrific experience.
CD: I keep hearing you've been campaigning for Lois Lane in 'Superman'
pretty hard...
SB: It would be my dream come true to play Lois Lane, I have no idea
what's going on with that, I'm sure they'll want someone more famous,
but *I* think it should be a relative unknown like Selma Blair, but I
dunno... You know, Lois Lane is something that would be fun to play, I know
that's something that would make things very happy for me. But I have
no idea. Cause I don't even know what is going on with that movie, I have
no idea what my chances are with that, so maybe if people could do a little
crossing of the fingers for me.
CD: Anything to tell the fans CountingDown the days until Hellboy... I
think we're at like 170-something...
SB: 170 what? Days?
CD: Yeah.
SB: Really?!
CD: Yeah, I think so... we have little clocks on our site, that's
our fun little gimmick, we literally count down the days...
SB: Count the days down, oh my God -- Well that's amazing. Well, the fans
have made this movie happen, and I hope I'm not a disappointment to any
of the fans that I was cast as Liz. Everyone involved in this movie is
so appreciative of the Hellboy fans, and the passion that they drive this
whole process, and the studio and everyone. So I want to say thank you
for everything that the fans have contributed, and if there's anything
I can do for the fans, if ever I have a fan out there, I'd be happy. I
believe the fans are really good at heart, which is what Anne Frank said
(in a different capacity [Laughs]), so I hope that they'll all come out
for the premiere and that we'll all party together, we're gonna have a
great time. I can't wait.
CD: Alright, well that's pretty much it for us... thanks again for
your time, we're all really looking forward to the movie!
SB: Thank you so much! Bye!
So that was our little chat with Selma -- she's all kinds of kooky,
and a load of fun to chat with. Expect to see her do Liz Sherman proud
come next Spring. And keep it here at CountingDown.com for all the latest
Hellboy updates!
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