Ron Perlman has been a Hollywood stalwart with over 300 credits as an actor, director, and producer. We recently spoke with Perlman about his latest feature, Absolution, where he co-stars with Liam Neeson as a ruthless Boston crime lord. We get to see Perlman without thick layers of makeup and prosthetics, which have covered the actor in some of his most memorable work, from In the Name of the Rose and Beauty and the Beast to Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy films.
Perlman and del Toro have worked together for more than three decades and are close friends, so it’s a bit surprising that Perlman isn’t playing Frankenstein’s monster in the filmmaker’s new Netflix adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. He’d be perfect. Perlman was quite supportive of the film, nonetheless:
“I know that Guillermo is always going to get the best people for what his vision kind of tells him is needed. I know I would have been in Frankenstein if he thought that I was the best guy for one of the roles. So I’m very okay with the fact that I’m not in this one, you know, and I hope and pray that there’s something else for us down the road. Because
that is a venerable old relationship that has yielded tremendous amounts of not only credits, but joy and laughter and memories
.”
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That star-studded cast of del Toro’s Frankenstein includes Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster with supporting roles from Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Lars Mikkelsen. And while Perlman may not be among them, he is always recommending del Toro to actors. He explained:
“I tell everybody, ‘
I wish every actor that I love and admire had a Guillermo del Toro in their lives
.’ Because he and I now have like seven credits together, but it’s not necessarily the credits. It’s the laughs and the hugs and the experiences and the meals and everything that we’ve gone through together.
So I’m hoping that we find a way to keep that going until the lights go out, baby
.”
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Ron Perlman Teamed Up with Liam Neeson Without Reading the Script
In the meantime, Perlman has a ton of upcoming projects as usual, and his most recent release is the Liam Neeson thriller, Absolution. Because of that, Perlman didn’t even have to read the script to approve the role. “He’s one of those guys, if you have the opportunity and the regard that I have for him, that’s all you’ve got to do is hear his name,” shared Perlman, adding:
[So when they said], ‘There’s this Liam Neeson movie that’s looking for an actor, and we’re sending the script your way,’ I said, ‘No, not necessary. Don’t bother. Just make the deal. Tell me where and when. I’ll catch up on the details later on.
“To be in the presence of that guy, with that filmography and with that kind of professional mantle that he has so well created,” continued Perlman, “it’s an honor to be in the presence of that kind of thing. Every moment I got to interact with Liam’s character was a gift.” Perlman continued to wax poetic about Neeson:
“We’re both doing this north of 50 years. By the time we made it to the set, we had such a foundation under us. Not only of the world in which we were navigating, but also this mutual appreciation for the fact that God put us both in the same place in the same movie. I was just getting to know him. I just got to find out how seriously he takes his craft, which is also not something that you can take for granted these days.”
Absolution is currently in theaters from Samuel Goldwyn Films. Frankenstein is in post-production and will be a Netflix exclusive in 2025.
An aging gangster, played by Liam Neeson, is determined to reconnect with his estranged children and atone for the mistakes of his violent past. However, the criminal underworld isn’t ready to let him walk away, leading to a high-stakes confrontation where old loyalties are tested.
- Release Date
- November 1, 2024
- Director
- Hans Petter Moland
- Cast
- Liam Neeson , Ron Perlman , Daniel Diemer , Yolonda Ross , Omar Moustafa Ghonim , Tom Kemp , Ryan Homchick , William Xifaras , Josh Drennen , Kris Eivers , Ryan Caraway , Terrence Pulliam , Ghia Truesdale , Kayla Kohla
- Runtime
- 122 Minutes