When Ron Perlman isn鈥檛 creating characters such as Clay Morrow, the tragic motorcycle club co-founder in Sons of Anarchy, or the demon-crushing comic book superhero in Hellboy, he鈥檚 been known to unleash a martini-dry sense of humour.
It erupts in the living room of a Prospect Lake home where he鈥檚 having lunch during a break from shooting Poker Night.
鈥淧lease, have some,鈥� Perlman says, offering what appears to be a tray of white puff pastries.
A cautious nibble reveals they鈥檙e actually decorative sea shells, prompting Perlman to grin and chuckle devilishly.
The tall, New York-born actor best known for playing roles that require heavy makeup, including Amoukar, his prehistoric character in Quest for Fire, the hunchback Salvatore in The Name of the Rose, and Vincent, the lovestruck creature in the 1980s TV series Beauty and the Beast, said he welcomed the chance to play another role that doesn鈥檛 require prosthetics.
He plays Calabrese, a veteran cop whose advice helps a rookie cop outsmart a serial killer in Greg Francis鈥檚 crime thriller.
鈥淪ometimes prosthetics can be helpful, and sometimes they can add to the challenge of getting through the day,鈥� Perlman says. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 one character that doesn鈥檛 present some sort of challenge, which is why I鈥檓 attracted to this business.鈥�
His playful sense of humour resurfaces when asked a question we note he must have been asked a zillion times.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 a gazillion-and-one among friends?鈥� he deadpans, recalling his early days when such roles meant employment.
鈥淚t was the only way I could get work so I was thrilled to do it because it was synonymous with me being able to call myself an actor,鈥� recalled Perlman, 62. 鈥淚 loved these transformation roles, so whatever one had to do to play them, including all of the annoyances like sitting in the makeup chair for so long, made it worthwhile. It enabled me to do what I loved the most 鈥� to be in that creative mode and find a way to merge what springs out of someone else鈥檚 imagination with my own.鈥�
Poker Night marks the second time Perlman has made a feature film here for Corey Large, the Victoria producer who also hired him for John Stockwell鈥檚 Kid Cannabis last summer.
鈥淗e seems to have very good taste in material,鈥� Perlman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always the writing with me, and this is really well rendered.鈥�
Seven years ago, Perlman also joined Burt Reynolds, Jason Statham, John Rhys-Davies and others in East Sooke to shoot medieval village sequences for In The Name of the King, Uwe Boll鈥檚 action picture based on the game Dungeon Siege.
The actor, who has been frequently spotted around town this month, eating at John鈥檚 Place and watching Lincoln at Cineplex Odeon, says he feels at home. It helps that he鈥檚 reuniting with some old friends, including co-stars Titus Welliver, Ron Eldard and Giancarlo Esposito, who he鈥檚 working with for the first time since they were struggling actors in New York.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be around people you feel are family, who you鈥檝e broken the ice with,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e cohorts and there鈥檚 fondness for each other as characters, but what happens between 鈥�;action鈥� and 鈥�;cut鈥� is only part of the experience.鈥�
Many readers have called to report sightings of Perlman chatting with fans and signing autographs.
When he sees 鈥済enuine enthusiasm鈥� in the faces of fans eager to share their excitement over something he鈥檚 done, he appreciates that, noting an actor鈥檚 objective is to reach people and share experiences with them.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 do this for ourselves,鈥� Perlman says. 鈥淎ny actor who feels that isn鈥檛 part of the conversation is missing the point of it all. You鈥檙e trying to resonate on a level that creates some sort of a collective consciousness.鈥�
It isn鈥檛 Hellboy, as comics fans might expect, but Sons of Anarchy he says he鈥檚 most recognized for.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 been a game-changer,鈥� Perlman says. 鈥淚 think you just reach more people on TV and we鈥檝e been around for five seasons. There鈥檚 also a true enthusiasm for the very outlaw, very romantic world we鈥檙e depicting. People get swept up in it.鈥�
He admits he鈥檚 been somewhat seduced by that biker world himself.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 taken to it with the same kind of zeal as some of the other guys on the show who鈥檝e changed their wardrobes, their whole way of thinking,鈥� adds Perlman, confiding he does plan to buy a Harley-Davidson.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 their main mode of transportation now. They really bought into it hook, line and sinker. But I鈥檓 more reticent. I鈥檓 the oldest dog on the show, and it鈥檚 kind of hard to teach an old dog new tricks.鈥�
With the Hamlet-esque outlaw series still going full-throttle, the fate of Perlman鈥檚 aging, Claudius-inspired character remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, he says doing films like Poker Night fill him up creatively.
鈥淚 love the travelling, the camaraderie, being around guys like this particular ensemble,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun and incredibly enriching. These things I鈥檒l take to the porch when I鈥檓 in my rocking chair and I can鈥檛 do it anymore.鈥�
