4. Ron Perlman as Hellboy
In: Hellboy
Oddball Because: Because who the hell is Ron Perlman? A largely supporting actor known almost entirely to audiences as a menagerie of monstrosities and weirdos, he wasnt exactly the sort of actor you built a franchise around. Indeed, prior to Hellboy, Perlmans biggest starring role was in the early 90s with the relatively short-lived Beauty and the Beast TV show, for which he was almost completely covered in make-up, rendering him unrecognizable to modern audiences. Perlman was so persona non grata that director Guillermo del Toro spent SEVEN YEARS trying to convince producers that he was the man for the horns.
Why He Was Perfect: BECAUSE OF COURSE HE FRIGGING WAS! Eight years on, and its easy to see that del Toro was (as usual) completely right in insisting on Perlman. He IS Hellboy. With his deep bass voice and intimidating build, he has the exact right physicality for the character. It also doesnt hurt that Perlman is better than almost anyone (Doug Jones excepted) at emoting from beneath pounds upon pounds of make-up. Hellboy is an actual and complete person in Perlmans hands, whether hes punching monsters in the face or baring his soul to the woman he loves. More than that, Perlman perfectly captures a certain blue-collar sensibility that didnt exist in the comics. Its this grumpy, working man persona that allows the viewer to believe in not only Hellboy, but in the crazy world of demons and fairies and giant killer robots and tree gods that he battles (these movies are sort of weird). As written by Mike Mignola, Hellboy was Phillip Marlowe by way of Beezlebub (Important Note: This is not a complaint). With Perlman sighing and groaning his way through fistifcuffs with a variety of boogeymen, Hellboy seemed all the more relatable and likable, and less like a fantasy character. The imagery made you root for Hellboy, but Perlman made you believe in him.
Best Moment: The one where Ron Perlman played Hellboy. That was sweet.