Superhero Special
Hell boys (and
girl): Harbour and
Lane with co-star
Daniel Dae Kim
t’s been 11 years since
we last saw Hellboy
on the big screen but
now the Dark Horse
Comics superhero/paranormal
investigator is back, albeit with
a different actor behind the
lashings of maroon body paint. As
long-time fans of the cat-loving
demon will tell you, Stranger
Things star David Harbour has
taken over from Ron Perlman as
Big Red, with The Descent’s Neil
Marshall replacing Guillermo del
Toro in the director’s chair. The
result is a twisted firestarter of
a reboot that fans will truly adore.
Here, we talk all things red with
Harbour, Sasha Lane (who plays
the feisty human/witch Alice) and
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.
David Harbour
Hellboy
“The fans are
most of the
reason why I do
movies like this”
Mike Mignola
Creator
Sasha Lane
Alice
“I just [love] the
moodiness and
darkness of it”
“There’s stuff
in this one that
has walked right
out of the
comic, so that’s
pretty exciting”
This third film has been a long
time coming. Where does it fit
into the Dark Horse chronology?
Mike Mignola: The producers
were working like dogs for years to
try and get another Hellboy movie
going. When they came to me
saying, “Okay, now we know what
we want to do”, they caught me by
surprise, because it’s in the middle
of the whole Hellboy story. It took
me a while to realise that it was
a great place to start to give it a
different tone to the previous films.
David, how aware were you of
Hellboy prior to getting the part?
David Harbour: Into my 20s, when
I got to New York, friends of mine
– more arty friends – were into
these graphic novels and one of
them was Hellboy. I just remember
being so struck by the art at first...
but then I also got into the story.
He’s not a hopeful hero, he’s more
of a hero of our time. So I really
Watch the trailer
like that aspect. I’m always drawn
to the more complicated characters.
Sasha, what connected you to
your character, Alice?
Sasha Lane: I love that she’s not
the love interest. She’s strong and
is just her own person. Between
her and Hellboy, they kind of give
each other something that says:
“You’re not alone, we can do this!”
The baddie in the film is played
by genre legend Milla Jovovich.
What was she like to work with?
David Harbour: I loved her. I had
known her from movies like The
Fifth Element and Resident Evil
and all these franchises [and] she
seems to me such a powerful,
strong woman that I was a little
worried to be honest. And then on
meeting her she is such a pro. She
just knows how to make a movie.
Finally, tell us why fans should
be excited about this reboot...
Sasha Lane: There’s a lot of energy
with it and I feel like [audiences]
are really going to get Hellboy.
Mike Mignola: It’s a darker
Hellboy film than fans have seen
before. But in a lot of ways much
closer to my material. I’m thrilled.
Hellboy hits cinemas on 11 April
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