Doug Jones Interview - Hellboy II The Golden Army
Doug Jones starred in Guillermo del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth', but don't feel bad if you don't recognize him from that film. Jones is a master at making fantastical creatures come to life, and he does so again as Abe Sapien in 'Hellboy II'.
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Transcript: Doug Jones Interview - Hellboy II The Golden Army
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the Los Angeles Film Festival and Universal Pictures' World Premiere of Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Doug Jones ('Abe Sapien')
Doug Jones: "I love About.com. I do."
I haven't seen you in so long. Congrats on this one.
Doug Jones: "Oh, thank you. This has been a labor of love that I'm really excited [about]. You know, on a night like this where everybody's all dressed up and we're all excited, it's like going to the prom or graduation or something. You know what I mean? It's like this intensive wait that we've had for four years for the second movie and after a long, grueling six and a half month shoot, we deserve a night like tonight."
It's all worth it.
Doug Jones: "It's so worth it. The reviews are in and they're raving about it. I'm a little nervous because I haven't seen the full finished product until tonight. I'm going in now."
So you don't like to watch it as it's going along?
Doug Jones: "I don't. I don't like to see an unfinished product myself. I want to wait till the sound and the visual effects are all put together and the editing is done."
Speaking of sound, it's your voice this time.
Doug Jones: "Yes. I'm more than happy. It's like, 'Finally.'"
After you did Pan's Labyrinth and you could speak in any language he wants you to, he had to let you do this voice.
Doug Jones: "That's right, he owed me one. Guillermo del Toro owed me one."
How much fun was it to get back into this character?
Doug Jones: "You know, visiting Abe again was like seeing an old friend that I hadn't seen in four years. And I embrace Abe Sapien. I hug him. I'm wearing his colors tonight as a matter of fact."
You like to do that too. It was silver for a while.
Doug Jones: "Yeah, you know me. You've been watching. I just adore Abe Sapien and what he gets to go through in this movie is so much. So many levels and colors, and he has an emotional life that he never knew was there. The love interest thing is so charming with Princess Nuala played by Anna Walton. She's so good and she's beautiful and statuesque. The fanboys are going to love Anna Walton. And fangirls are going to love Abe being in love, too, I think. It's a sweet story. But you also see so much more action. I mean, Abe gets his hands dirty with the bad guys this time. And more buddy/buddy time with Hellboy and more brother/sister time with Liz Sherman played by Selma Blair whom I adore. To see Ron and Selma again and Jeffrey Tambor, and a little wink wink from John Hurt, it doesn't get better than that."
So you're ready for number 3?
Doug Jones: "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, number 3, Guillermo has it up in his mind here. He and Mike Mignola have already been kibitzing about that one. So, we'll see. When we get to make it is the next issue because The Hobbit is coming for Guillermo."
Wait – for Guillermo?
Doug Jones: "Nothing's confirmed about me."
You know you're going to be in The Hobbit.
Doug Jones: "Okay, people like to speculate, including myself. I'm not going to lie. Here's a quote Guillermo said the other night when I was with him when somebody was asking him in front of me, 'Are you going to have Doug Jones in The Hobbit?' His answer was, 'Listen. I have nothing official to report but if I direct a hemorrhoid commercial, I would have Doug Jones in it.' And, of course, that would be to play the hemorrhoid I'm sure."
Because you'd love to do that makeup.
Doug Jones: "Yeah, that would be a good one."
So you're not only Abe in this, you do a bunch of creatures.
Doug Jones: "I play also the Angel of Death which is a delicious, yummy moment in the film. And also a little character called The Chamberlain who's this goofy, like very prissy sort of doorkeeper for the king of the elfin underworld where our bad guy comes from, and where my love interest comes from as Abe. So I did triple duty on this and that's why I'm exhausted now."
But that's good. It's a good exhaustion.
Doug Jones: "It's a very nice tired."