Many know Selma Blair as the young naive sex vixen in Cruel Intentions, or the straight laced lawyer from Legally Blonde, but Selma has got a whole other side to her, which she gets to play with in Guillermo del Toro’s film Hellboy II. She’s dark, funny, and anything but a debutante. She may be quite literally on fire for most of the movie, but she plays Liz, the pyro-girlfriend as cool as could be. Selma’s character, Liz, finally is able to grow up in Hellboy 2 and own her powers.
LA.CityZine had a chance to sit down with Selma and talk about her lack of ability to fire a fake gun, being an action star, her dark sense of humor, and her love for a good comedic role. So without further ado, we give you Selma Blair…
So, how is it playing the pyro-techno girlfriend?
Selma Blair: It can’t be bad. It was good. It was good working with Guillermo. It was good working with Ron. He’s funny. Both of them. It was great. I don’t want to be on fire in real life. It’s not practical in California.
In this film, Liz seems to come into her own, as a full member of the team.
SB: Yeah, she did. In the first one, she definitely had some hang-ups. She had some baggage, mostly under her eyes, looking back at that. She was sad. Her powers led to a lot of destruction; and in this one she matured and she could use her power and she’s with Hellboy and she’s a capable functioning woman. Still a little bit bruting, but definitely stronger. It was strange to play it. I thought I knew Liz and thought it would just be a cake walk, but it strange playing her with a little more confidence. I kept wanting to go back to the hesitant Liz.
Guillermo says he modeled some of the fights between Hellboy and Liz on his own life with his wife. Did he share that with you?
SB: Yeah, I know that his relationship with Lorenza is so special. It’s such a beautiful thing. I’m sure they have also come through many arguments so I could only imagine. They have had little quarrels. I think there is a lot of Hellboy in Guillermo as well.
You’re pretty much the only identifiable human on screen for the majority of the film. Was that something you thought about consciously that you are the closest thing to an ordinary person even though you are hurling flames?
SB: I didn’t realize it until we were halfway through with the movie and I was like, “Wait a minute, I’m the only face here.” It just seemed wild. I don’t know what that says about me, I but didn’t even notice it. At one point when we are doing the golden army scene, which is the only CGI stuff in the movie and everything else was really there including the monsters, which was cool to look at and I said, “Where are you guys looking? and someone said “it doesn’t matter no one can see our eyes,” and I realized, “Oh my God! Everyone can see my eyes! Oh my God! I have a face! I have a face!?” There was a moment of terror. I’m going to be the one that will crap all over this movie. I’m going to be the mess.
Can you talk about how Guillermo likes to use real creatures and not CGI? He said that for actors, it really helps them. Do you find that to be helpful to you?
SB: Of course. It adds a sense of reality; and when you a making such a fantastical movie like this, it can only help. To have Hellboy dressed up so realistically everyday, it made it so real. When we did the first one, the first moment I stepped on set with him, I wondered if I should touch him. Does it make a noise? Will it pop if I try to caress it? No. I have never worked with prosthetic boyfriend. (Laughs) That doesn’t sound great but I’m sure I have… I didn’t know what to expect. It was so real. Guillermo has put so much love and effort into this monster making that after that first scene was done, I completely bought my love story with Hellboy. It made sense to me. After that scene, it never seemed weird. I never once questioned this person in a suit. It didn’t seem like that.
Did you get any drawings?
SB: There were a couple of practical ones there. There were some references so we knew they were like. When we in the operating room, we did that scene before the auction house scene.
What was the most challenging this to shoot?
SB: The most challenging sequence was probably some of one with the guns in the auction house scene because, it’s very embarrassing but I’m actually really good with a gun. My sister was a cop for twelve years so she always taught me about gun safety and everything, but I never pretended to shoot a gun on camera because you don’t actually have bullets of course and you will do a couple with blanks but with the rest you are just miming it. It’s such a strange thing to shoot a gun and pretend like there’s a kickback. I’m not a very good mime. I’m the pits. I have to admit that I’m not a good action star. Doug too. Guillermo calls us “Selma and Louise”. He looks like Barberella in the background and we’re the pits. We were on the floor laughing at what little girls we look like with the guns in the background and Guillermo thought that we would never get through the scene.
You need to ask for a loaded gun the next time.
SB: Exactly. To shoot myself with.
What was your reaction when you saw the final film?
SB: I thought the film was pretty epic. I thought Guillermo really did an amazing film. I can’t believe how successfully he covered all the bases. Everything is in the film from love and death and amazing action sequences, and war and monsters, and it’s incredible.
What was the atmosphere like to be on a Guillermo set? Is everybody relaxed or just stiffed?
SB: No. It’s funny. There are so many different languages being spoken. It’s pretty crazy that way. There’s a Mexican crew and then there’s Spain and Mexico, Hungary and there’s some Czech crew people there from the first Hellboy. There are all these different countries being represented on a set and American and British. Guillermo hysterical and we always had Jeffrey Tambor singing, and we have Hellboy singing all the time.
What’s he singing?
SB: He’s singing like Frank Sinatra songs and old show tunes. It’s so surreal, and then there’s Hellboy crooning with a cigar. It always blows my mind. It’s fun. It’s really fun. It’s an intense work schedule. 6 day weeks, mostly nights, and I would be off shivering in a corner somewhere. None of them were cold because they always had on prosthetic gear on. [They were] usually sweating. They were grateful when winter came around. In the summer, they hated life.
You were mostly in Budapest this time?
SB: Yes. We were in Budapest the whole time.
Are you looking forward to the possibility of Guillermo’s coming back in 2012 for another Hellboy film?
SB: God I hope it happens. I guess I better take my Geritol. (Laughs)
Have you guys talked about it at all?
SB: We haven’t really talked about it. We’ve talked about what the storyline would be like in Hellboy 3 which excites me and I think Liz would be in unendurable pain and I would love to see what Guillermo would bring to that. The Angel of Death assures her of that. Guillermo is such a master of raising the stakes of what something could be and what is possible and I would love to see what that is, but I don’t know. It depends on the success of this movie.
Can you see yourself in The Hobbit movies?
SB: I look like a boy (laughs), but I’m not a boy. I do not know, but unfortunately I am on a TV show called “Kath and Kim,” and I have no invitation to be in “The Hobbit,” but I would love to be anywhere where Guillermo is.
Can talk more about the TV show?
SB: It’s called “Kath and Kim.” Molly Shannon plays Kath and I play Kim. Mother and daughter on NBC and it starts in October at 9:30 after “The Office.” I am a pretty good saleswoman; a real team player. NBC has taught me well. It’s based on an Australian show from the same name.
What sort of relationship do they have?
SB: They love each other very much. My character is bordering on demented and she is so much to play. It surprises me how naturally it comes, and how it does not leave me when they say “cut.” Now I have an excuse, “I’m so sorry but it’s so embedded in me now.” My character loves her mother, she’s self absorbed and tabloid obsessed.
How’s the transition from films to TV?
SB: I’m not used to learning so many lines. I have to tell you that it’s a lot of work. I like acting but not that much. (Laughs) It’s amazing. I’m so grateful to have a job. I’m so grateful to have a great job for a woman. There wasn’t a lot of good material out there. I was surprised at how little material on TV there was for comedy for women. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to get one of them. I don’t want it to go anywhere. I want to stay on that thing. It’s a good transition. I’m happy to be in LA for awhile. I’m happy to working with Molly on a show that has great writing, so I’m enjoying it a lot.
Back to Hellboy, Did you have a favorite creature or monster that Guillermo created?
SB: When I watched the movie I really liked that tumor baby. What’s wrong with me? Why did I think that was the cutest thing? I didn’t realize how nostalgic I was for an actual set that had all these animatronic puppets and how much I missed that since everything is done in CGI now, and there really is a difference. You can feel the difference between something that is tacked on 3-D and something that is created digitally. Our brains can sense it. I had the same sense of wonderment as when I saw that Star Wars canteen scene. “Oh my God! I want to rent it so I can pick out my favorite stuff.” I felt as I were a kid in a candy shop and I haven’t felt that in a long time in a movie; so it was a little overwhelming seeing the film for the first time and your brain is picking up so many different cues like when the golden army is reassembling itself.
Did you like any of the costumes that you wore?
SB: I love the necklace that Guillermo made. He did it himself. He designed it himself and he was really proud of it. He impresses me to no end. I felt really special wearing that necklace. That was the final thing I put on in my trailer that completed Liz.
Did you get to keep it?
SB: No. He wants it back and they can’t find it. He wanted to buy it for Lorenza.
Thank you for your time!
SB: Thanks!
For further Hellboy II reading:
1 response so far ↓
1 Bobbie // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:39 am
Good interview! She seems like a lot of fun so must have been enjoyable talking with her.
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