Blair returns as Hellboy’s hottie in ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

By Brian Frederick

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/13/08 – “The whole story of ‘Hellboy II’ really hinges on what was created in the underworld,” says Universal Pictures ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ star Selma Blair. “I think the most tenacious of the monsters are the littlest ones.”

“Tthe Tooth Fairies,” says Blair. “They’re cute. They’re really, really cute. Guillermo outdid himself on the cuteness scale with the tooth fairy, but they’re nasty little things.”

“After the first Hellboy, I loved the movie, but my life didn’t change that much with work,” says Blair. “We all stayed the way we were as our characters, as this misfit group of underground actors.”

“It’s amazing to be back with Guillermo” says Blair. “I think this movie outdoes the first one. The scope of it is huge, to all be away together in Budapest for six months. Guillermo has accomplished so much, especially with ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, that it’s given him a little more leeway to use this awesome mind he has.”

‘Hellboy 2’ director Guillermo del Toro made changes to Blair’s character in the sequel. “It was important to Guillermo that my character showed that she had matured,” says Blair. “He didn’t want any of the Sad Sack of Liz to keep coming forward. Guillermo kept having to remind me, ‘Stop crying’, ‘She’s stronger’, ‘She doesn’t have to cry in this scene’, ‘Stop with your tears’, ‘She’s strong’.”

“I kept wanting to go back to the Liz that I knew because that was what was created so indelibly in my heart,” says Blair. “I thought that I knew her and it would be a breeze. Liz this time was much more of a straightforward character, a much more functioning woman despite the fact she has such a strange power. I was pleased to see her a lot more engaged in life.”

Blair’s character has come to embrace the pyro-kinetic energy that threatens anyone who comes near her. “Petty things are really amplified when you have superpowers,” says Blair. “When Hellboy and Liz have a row, it’s not just, ‘Okay, I’m going for a walk, see you later. It’s more like, ‘I’m going to blow up this damn kitchen and will see you later.’ I find it adorable.”

“I loved fairy tales when I was a child,” says Blair. “I loved Aesop’s, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Matchstick Girl. I love the ones that end badly. I still have such a fascination with that and with death. I see the beauty in it. I think decay can look quite gorgeous.”

In ‘Hellboy 2’, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and fellow agent Doug Jones are sent to investigate an attack at an auction house by thousands of ravenous tooth fairies. The duo of Hellboy and Liz are part of a team of agents belonging to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development (B.P.R.D.). Founded to expose occults uncovered during operations in Nazi Germany, today the organization operates as a private association funded by government agencies for defense against paranormal events.

Guillermo del Toro has described Selma Blair as “one of today’s most versatile actors.” Selma Blair attracted his attention for her performance in ‘Cruel Intentions.’ A Michigan native and graduate of the University of Michigan, Blair moved to New York City in the early 90s to be a photographer. Acting lessons at Stella Adler’s Conservatory of Acting led to her breakthrough scene, a spit-swapping kiss with Sarah Michele Gellar in ‘Cruel Intentions’. That kiss may go down as one of the hottest kisses in Hollywood film.

‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’
Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Release Date: July 11, 2008 (USA)
Rated P-G 13: for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some action
Distributer: Universal Studios