RON PERLMAN: 'BEAST' SUCCESS A SURPRISE

Ron Perlman might go unnoticed on the street, despite his starring role in CBS's Beauty and the Beast, which debuted last season.

As Vincent, the poetic man-beast who loves in a shadowy world beneath New York City, his features are buried under makeup that takes four hours to apply. Yet he's struck a responsive chord with millions of viewers, who revel in the chaste love he feels for Catherine (Linda Hamilton), a beautiful district attorney.

In The Amish Story, A Stoning in Fulham County, Perlman, 38, plays Jacob Shuler, patriarch of an Amish family. When his infant daughter is killed as a result of a teen prank, he must decide whether to cooperate with a district attorney who wants to prosecute the case or hold firm to religious beliefs that forbid involvement with secular courts.

Dressed in Amish garb--black denim pants and vest, a blue work shirt and wearing a false light brown beard--he talked from the production offices of the film inside the old Iredell County Courthouse.

Question: Are you worried about what effect the Writers Guild of America strike will have on the second season of Beauty and the Beast?

Answer: Nobody really knows what kind of effect it's going to have on our season. I'd like to believe the fans will be patient. I think we did real well in our first run. We developed a core audience that was probably one of the most consistent of the season. We consistently won our time period (8 to 9p.m. Friday against several different competitors), though that is not a huge viewing night. The fact that CBS is keeping us on at 8 p.m. Fridays says a lot about their confidence in the show, but you never know. Augury is not one of my talents... When the strike ends, I'll be incredibly relieved. All this mystery is driving us all up the wall, to say nothing of what the strike is doing to people's lives.

Question: Were you surprised by the response to the show?

Answer: I was very surprised. I really didn't think we'd get past the pilot episode. I loved the script, but I'm used to loving things that don't do well commercially. I was ready for this thing to be appreciated by people whose taste I respect, but not commercially... The mail is just intense. We get really intelligent letters from people who are obviously very moved and take pages to share that with us.

Question: What were you doing once production of the show shut down for the season?

Answer: I was just resting. I found the nine months totally debilitating physically and mentally. There were all kinds of hills to climb and plateaus to be reached. I'd never done a series before and didn't realize how physically engaging it is. There were days when I worked 21 hours per day. The rule of thumb was 16-18 hours per day. When it was over, I had no desire to do anything. They had to do a lot of cajoling to get me to do the Amish character.

Question: Vincent may be the ultimate outsider, but the Amish father also lives outside the mainstream of American life. Are there similarities between the characters?

Answer: Jacob has some similarities to Vincent. He has to make a choice between civic duty and religious beliefs. It's an important moment in his life and it makes for interesting work as an actor.

Question: Did you know anything about the Amish before you began this film?

Answer: No. Up until now, the Amish were a mystery to me. Now, my respect for their beliefs in community has gone up one hundredfold. It requires a tremendous discipline and purpose. They have to live their lives against all odds. That they've been here a couple of hundred years and maintained their purity of belief says a great deal for their stamina and the depth of their beliefs.

Question: Are you enjoying your stay in Statesville?

Answer: Very much. The guys from the (Greater Statesville) Chamber of Commerce and the N.C. Film Commission are wonderful. They've opened up their lives to us. They've opened up their homes to us. They've made our stay very pleasant.

Question: What are you doing for relaxation?

Answer: Golf is a new passion for me. I played for the first time a month and a half ago at a Barbara Mandrell charity fundraiser in Nashville. I was a foursome with (Chicago Bears running back) Walter Payton, (rock singer) Meat Loaf, and Barbara Mandrell's 17-year-old son. It was the most embarrassing afternoon of my adult life. I had everybody behind us fuming because it took me so long to find my ball and hit it. So I resolved to go back to L.A. and learn to play respectable, decent golf.

Question: Did it work?

Answer: Let's just say that after playing for a month and a half, I broke 100. I was so excited I went out and broke 95.

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