‘Hellboy’ Creator Describes Role Differences Between David Harbour and Ron Perlman

Published on December 25th, 2018 | Updated on December 24th, 2018 | By FanFest

As we get closer to seeing avid Harbour as Hellboy, those behind the film are more able to share details of filming. When Harbour replace Ron Perlman as the horned character, fans knew he was going to be very different. Perlman was epic as Hellboy.The Stranger Things star is loved by many fans, so we are rooting for him to come out strong regardless of who he replaced in the infamous role. The creator of the character, Mike Mignola is now speaking about the change, and says the two are simply very different.

He spoke with IGN about the differences recently, where he says Harbour does take a bit more drama to the role.

“[David Harbour’s Hellboy is] a little bit more dramatic. There’s a different edge. [Ron Perlman] was very smooth as Hellboy, and there’s a whole different love interest vibe with Ron’s thing. Ron was almost playing this kind of old adolescent. And Harbour plays a grittier Hellboy, and a bit more explosive, emotionally.”

He says that regardless of the differences, they both feel like Hellboy.

“It’s hard to explain, but it is a very different take. The beauty is, both of them, in their own way, feel like Hellboy. It’s almost like they’re just tipped it in two different directions. There’s something much gnarlier about David’s Hellboy.”

Perlman played the role early on in his career, and he became known for the role. When Harbour hits the screen, fans will already be very familiar with his demeanor and almost know what to expect and to be comfortable with.

Mignola points out the parallels to that in Hellboy’s story,

“In the del Toro films, Hellboy is kind of penned up, and kept secret, and that is not what we have here [in the upcoming film]. This is truer to the comic, in that Hellboy’s been out in the world. He’s not a top-secret, hidden away guy. He’s an out-there-in-the-world, functioning, working adult. So you’ve got that working stiff, been there, done that vibe with Harbour, that you just couldn’t have with Ron because it was played so differently,” Mignola elaborates. “[With Harbour’s Hellboy] there’s a little bit more angsty, find-your-place-in-the-world, a frustration with his role.”

If you’d like to get a taste of Harbour’s Hellboy, check out the brand new trailer.

Hellboy, directed by Neil Marshall, also stars Daniel Dae Kim, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Thomas Haden Church, Brian Gleeson, Sophie Okonedo, and Penelope Mitchell. It includes a script by Mignola as well as Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden, and Aron Coleite. It hits theaters April 12th, 2019.

Shannon Toohey

Shannon Toohey is Editor-In-Chief of FanFest.com. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2015 with a B.A. in Journalism from the Lawrence Herbert School of Communications. Shannon has been a proud member of the Fan Fest team since 2013. Tweet her in your prettiest bird voice: @shannontoo

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