Interview: Ron Perlman (Season of the Witch)

Coming to theaters this Friday, January 7th from Relativity Media, Season of the Witch follows Behmen and Felson’s return to their European homeland after fighting in the Crusades for decades. They find their home devastated by the Black Plague. Two church elders accuse a girl of being a witch and being responsible for the destruction. They command Behmen and Felson to transport Anna to a monastery so the monks there can lift her curse from the land.

Genre vet Ron Perlman chats with Killer Film about the film, his role of Felson, Nic Cage, and of course, Guillermo del Toro. Read on!

Jon Peters: I assume the script came to you in late 2008, early 2009. What was it that got you excited to sign on to play Felson?

Ron Perlman: Well, before the script even was delivered to my door, it was referred to as the Nic Cage movie with Dominic Sena directing. It had to be really, really awful for me to say no to. There was no “no” to it, really, since you can’t say that to those two. Nic is such an original, with a body of work of masterpieces that are boundless. Dominic is a super filmmaker ever since he done Kalifornia, I was a fan. So I opened it up to read it, to see what they wanted me to do, which was to play [Felson] Nic Cage’s best pal shoulder-to-shoulder for the entire film. It seemed too good to be true, which is that it was. So I signed on with a huge amount of enthusiasm.

Jon: I read in a recent interview you did that you called Nic Cage “a generous actor”. Can you elaborate on that more?

Ron Perlman: I think that was said for my appreciation for him. I was a huge fan boy and then act next and share oxygen to him, was amazing. He has this unabashed innocence in his work, along with his dedication, that’s great. He really adores making movies, so there’s such an energy force that radiates from him that’s infectious. He’s just really positive; he’s the first one on the set, last one to leave. He’s amazingly generous to those working with and around him, and understands when it’s someone else’s moment, and makes sure they shine. It’s a pleasure to witness to love for the work. He engages you to take your game up a notch or two, you know?

Jon: Well, with both of your long careers is an exact opposite of newcomer Claire Foy, who plays the Girl/the Witch. You two are use to greenscreens and the harsh weather and working conditions, and it must have been hard for her to carry the film, due to her role. How was it working with Claire?

Ron Perlman: Claire brings a lot to the party. She doesn’t give off that she’s new to this. She’s an old soul, even though she’s early 20s, with real wisdom, sharp intellect, sophistication. She has an amazing ability to be in deep focus on what she’s doing, which trumps the difficulties with the weather or locations. She’s just gifted.

Jon: Well, with those environments in which you filmed in, I believe in Croatia and the Austrian Alps, you’ve worked in films that call for harsh conditions. Even later this year with Conan the Barbarian and Scorpion King 3, does it get any easier film after film, or is it still a bitch working in harsh weather conditions?

Ron Perlman: It seems like we’re always shooting these movies in the the dead of winter. (laughs) I think that’s probably how the remote quality of the location with the actor’s breathe in the cold. You can’t replace that. Or when you’re fighting on real mud, in snow or rain as your filming, that makes for a reality that can’t be created otherwise. It never gets easier. I don’t bring baggage from the set conditions of other gigs. I keep it fresh, from film to film, like the first time, every time. There’s experience, sure, but leave it in the trailer.

Jon: I’m always looking in genre films for a film to offer me something more than the their conventions and thrills, and a film about the Black Plague comes at an interesting, maybe curious time since a few days ago (here) in Arkansas, birds and fish have mysteriously died…

Ron Perlman: Yeah, I’ve been watching that and they still don’t know why.

Jon: That’s what is fun about the Season of the Witch and its timing for a January release. As a genre vet, what keeps you excited to constantly be working in genre films like fantasy and horror?

Ron Perlman: I’m not ever going to be in a movie, like a genre film, that doesn’t have some sort of gravitas. I felt like the backdrop to Season of the Witch in the Crusades, isn’t one of the brightest times for the Catholic Church, and there’s things being done that are being built as one thing, but are something else. So there’s a possibility of all Hell breaking loose and we have modern day equivalence to that. This story you mentioned about the birds dying, they still haven’t came up with anything conclusive to why it was caused, and here it is the 21st Century.

Mysterious happenings are universal. Take tsunamis for example: where the f*ck those come from? For me, the supernatural elements that are unleashed spring out of something that’s corrupting the Earth at that time and it allows for a reality for when something fantastical happens. I’ll never do a straight up scary movie that doesn’t have some basis in reality to juxtaposed it against.

Jon: A lot of fans are getting excited for your umpteenth collaboration with Guillermo del Toro in At the Mountains of Madness, especially since Hellboy 3 isn’t really going to happen anytime soon (here). What’s the attraction for your guys’ continued work together, making you guys a genre equivalent to Scorsese/De Niro?

Ron Perlman: I never thought I’d be mentioned in the same sentence as Scorsese and De Niro, so I thank you for that. It’s a thrill. We became fast friends on Cronos (out now on Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD; here), that has superseded our work. We truly enjoy each other’s company and he truly understands me as an actor, my heart and how I move through the universal, unlike any other director. It’s allowed for my resurgence in this last decade of my career, that’s indescribable and humbling. I thank God that I met Guillermo del Toro, since these last 10 years has been my best years as an actor.

We have a great time on-set together, that allows for me to be creative and offer ideas. The shorthand has allowed him to focus on other stuff and to make his movie. I don’t throw around genius, but Guillermo is. It’s an honor to work with him.

Season of the Witch opens January 7th.