Ron Perlman

Television's New Prince Charming

by Marc Shapiro

Dressed in dark cape, savage makeup and lion mane, he's hunting the urban underground and capturing lovelorn hearts for "Beauty and the Beast."

Ron Perlman is usually too much of a sweetheart to lay down the law. But after a trio of films (Quest for Fire, Ice Pirates and The Name of the Rose) in which the veteran actor was only recognizable through his name on the cast list, Perlman called his manager and told him enough was enough.

"I told him I was no longer interested in any role in which I would have to wear prosthetic makeup," recalls Perlman. "I told him I didn't want to see any scripts with those kinds of roles and I didn't want to be tempted. Fortunately, I have the kind of manager who doesn't always listen to his clients."

The reason for Perlman's "fortunately" is much in evidence on the Los Angeles studio soundstage where a good portion of the TV series Beauty and the Beast is being shot. Perlman, relaxing between takes on a couch on the living room set of Catherine's (Linda Hamilton) apartment, is once again the man behind the mask; an excellent, even up close and personal, lion-like makeup job courtesy of Oscar-winner Rick Baker (FANGORIA #68). Perlman, who comes across as being as gentle and accommodating as his character Vincent, realizes his "no makeup rule" edict has not held water and laughingly continues the odyssey of how he was once again taken.

"A few days later, I went out to pick up my morning paper and there was this script for something called Beauty and the Beast laying next to it. Since the script was lighter than the morning paper, I read it first. I got halfway through it, called my manager and said, "What do I have to do to play this character?"

Fairy Tale Romance

Perlman's discourse is interrupted by a callback to the set and another of those romantic heart-to-hearts between Catherine and Vincent, early in its first season, made Beauty and the Beast far and away the most romantic show on television. As stagehands backlight the backdrop that passes for the New York skylight, Perlman and Hamilton (FANGORIA #60) crack wise on the balcony set while a makeup person combs out Vincent's mane. The scene unfolds with Catherine coming upon Vincent staring out at the city.

"I need your help, Catherine," whispers Vincent in that oh-so-vulnerable voice. Catherine agrees to his every request and the scene plays to cut with the pair staring dreamily into each other's eyes.

The scene completed, Hamilton retires to the nearby bedroom set and collapses on the bed. Perlman, in an unBeast-like playful mood, falls onto the bed beside her and indulges in some pawing of the actress. Perlman finishes his groping and returns to the conversation.

"It gets like that sometimes," he says, settling his large frame onto the couch. "This is a good cast. We're all pros but we have our fun at times."

Perlman claims that the idea of spending five hours daily getting into his Beast makeup has a built-in nuisance factor. "Just sitting there can be a real strain and I'm convinced that if this show lasts three or four seasons, it will end up taking some kind of toll on me. But, for now, the quality of the work we're doing far overshadows the negatives," he says.

And the quality for Perlman centers on the character of Vincent who, he claims, has a range of possibilities for him as an actor to interpret.

"Vincent is a character of incredible sensitivity and compassion. He is a heroic champion of the underdog with incredible inner strength who knows what it's like to have to overcome insurmountable weakness. "The effect he is allowed to have on this woman and she on him is very poignant and moving. There's nothing one-dimensional about Vincent. There are any number of directions this character could go in," insists Perlman.

While that may be the case, producer Ron Koslow and story editor George R.R. Martin (STARLOG #117) have seen fit to keep Beauty and the Beast walking a fine line between fairy tale fantasy and gritty urban reality. It is to everyone's credit, and the show's current popularity, that the violence, gunplay and other standard TV ingredients never get in the way of Beauty and the Beast's obvious charm.

"I don't know if 'charming' is the right word for what we're doing," corrects Perlman. "What we're doing is mixing fantasy and reality and making a show that's very believable."

What is believable, as Perlman returns to the balcony set for another snatch of whispery dialogue with Hamilton, is the romantic sparks that fly between Catherine and Vincent. In between takes, Perlman chalks that element up to good chemistry between the two actors.

"The reason the relationship rings true is that I have a real affection for Linda," he says. "I find her an incredibly beautiful person and one who possesses a wide range of emotions. Feeling that way about her makes it very easy for Vincent to love Catherine."

But given Perlman's taut assessment of why the relationship works, it's interesting to find the actor (who recently penned a script for the series) a bit vague on where that relationship and the storyline for Beauty and the Beast are headed.

The relationship is not going anywhere ' he says. "What it is now is what it will always be. The ramifications of the relationship are what we are exploring and each episode will add new colors to it. This show is not dealing with a plight or a cause but, rather, with an aspect of humanity that will be explored. Through the actions of Vincent and Catherine, people will know what it is to find true love.''

With true love, there's the interesting plot potential in the notion that Vincent and Catherine will overcome their differences and actually consummate their relationship. Perlman looks thoughtful - as thoughtful as a guy in a lion mask can look - at the prospect. But it's an idea he quickly dismisses.

"I don't think Vincent and Catherine will ever consummate their love," he announces, "but, even if they did, I don't think it would have a major effect on their relationship and the show's direction.

"Their devotion and intensity toward each other would remain the same. The only difference would be that they would express it in more physical ways."

The topic of a sexual relationship between Vincent and Catherine leads, in turn, to a couple of seemingly glaring inconsistencies in the Vincent character. The first being whether Vincent is a human being, an animal or something completely different. The second being why, when Vincent speaks better English than a Rhodes scholar 90 percent of the time, he suddenly reverts to wild animal screams when provoked by violence?

"Vincent is part man and part beast," responds Perlman to the fish or fowl question. "What his origin is has never been specified on the show and probably will never be revealed. But there is obviously something different about his makeup. Whatever he is, he must possess incredible genes to have both superior intelligence and strength.

"As far as the roaring goes, I think the audience needs some kind of signal that there is this fierce other side to Vincent so they don't get completely hooked on the idea of this creature who speaks perfect English. It keeps the audience just that little bit off-balance, which is basically what we've attempted to do with the entire show.

Fabled Beginnings

Ron Perlman was born in Manhattan on April 13, 1950. While his early childhood was fairly unaffected, by the time Perlman became a teen, he fell victim to some very Vincent-like mental trauma; the scars of which he still carries with him.

"I was not dealt the best physical hand in the world," says a candid Perlman. "My nose didn't fit my mouth. My forehead didn't fit my cheeks. And those are traditionally the years when a boy is judged primarily on his looks. So, consequently, I suffered from very low self-esteem. In a sense, I had a beast inside me. That beast was fear and insecurity.''

Perlman tamed that beast in high school, by turning his energies to performing; first as a comedian and later as an actor. He appeared in numerous stage productions at the City University of New' York and, later, at the University of Minnesota where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Upon graduation, Perlman returned to New York where he began appearing in such Broadway and Off-Broadway productions as The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria, American Heroes, PaI Joey and Tiebele and Her Demon.

During his stay in the latter production, Perlman was approached by director Jean-Jacques Annaud to make his motion picture debut in the stone-age drama Quest for Fire (STARLOG #55). Perlman's memories of portraying the caveman Amoukar focus on battling hypothermia in the great outdoors and going to zoos to study the movements of apes. He also remembers the day the elephants ran away.

''It was the scene in which the elephants were supposed to stampede," he recalls. ''After the scene, they should then return to the tent, which was acting as a barn and had a bull elephant tethered as a guide. But the elephants decided they were going to run through a small two-man tent being used for looping wigs. Do you know what 40 elephants trying to get into a two-man tent looks like? Fortunately, the two men working inside had decided, moments earlier, to go out for a smoke."

Perlman's next fantastic film assignment, Ice Pirates (STARLOG #82), was less joyous. "Outside of having the opportunity to be in a film with Anjelica Huston, it's a movie I would just as soon forget,'' winces Perlman. ''I'm not ashamed of having done it. It's the results I'm not happy with. The picture had a great deal of promise, but the producers decided to aim real low with it."

Next on Perlman's prosthetic hit parade was The Name of the Rose, a mystery set in a monastery. For the role of Salvatore, a facially deformed and hunchbacked monk, it was another hours-a-day stint in a makeup chair. He was happy with the role but he concedes that putting on the makeup in another film was an ordeal.

"In the space of three films, I had become one of the least recognized actors in the business," says Perlman. "I guess it was largely ego, but I felt, at that point, I could carry a major role without hiding my face."

So how, given this attitude, does Perlman justify yet another masked man role in Beauty and the Beast?

"I really don't look at Vincent as being a makeup role," he explains. "The parts I've played in Quest for Fire and The Name of the Rose were makeup roles in the sense that both characters were pure fantasy creations. Vincent is a very real character, one I play honestly and sincerely. He is not a creation from the imagination but rather one from the heart. Vincent is a part I don't think I could grow tired of playing."

Fantasy Creations

On the surface, Beauty and the Beast appears to be high concept - although very good high concept - television fare. Not the kind of assignment to be taken as seriously as Ron Perlman obviously does. The actor claims that he is quick to bring any inconsistencies in script characterization to producer Ron Koslow's attention. Each new script is reread to death.

While he is intent on his portrayal of Vincent, Perlman claims he knows when to pull the plug.

"When the shooting day ends, I leave Vincent at the studio. I have to; otherwise, it would be impossible for me to come in the next day and be fresh. Besides, my wife has had a hard enough time getting used to Ron Perlman. Adopting Vincent might be a bit much to ask," he laughs.

Perlman is aware of the commercial possibilities of his character and offers, "As much as I would hate to see Vincent lunchboxes, I don't own the rights to the character so I really don't have any say."

He does explain that it is important to him that the illusion of Vincent be kept and, in that regard, he has placed limitations on himself.

"I will never be seen anywhere in this makeup outside of the show," he says. "I will never do the science-fiction convention circuit and you won't see me at shopping centers. This is serious business to me.

"Vincent has the potential to be a great American folk hero. The initial response to Beauty and the Beast indicates there is a strong possibility of that happening. I would not want to violate the trust that has been placed in my hands by having the character involved in anything cheap or shoddy.

"When people look at Vincent, I want them to see somebody they can have confidence in and trust. They should admire his worldliness and care about the fact that he can alternately be weak and strong."

Ron Perlman excuses himself for a quick costume change before returning to the set for another afternoon of billing and cooing with Linda Hamilton.

Love can be a bear. On Soundstage 6, it's just a beast.

STARLOG/March 1988