Selma Blair Returns As Liz Sherman

[wayshway]

It's been three years since Selma Blair debuted as the fiery Liz Sherman in Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy and many thought they had seen the last of her until the franchise was salvaged by Universal, who signed on to produce and release the sequel. It's a year later in the world of Hellboy and Liz has moved in with her demon boyfriend, so there's a new dynamic to their relationship, while Liz has grown more confident with her fire powers. Superhero Hype! had a chance to talk to her on the Budapest set of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and we were shocked when we saw her new look, which involved shorter hair and a sexy black leather outfit.

Superhero Hype!: Did you ever think you'd be playing Liz again?
Selma Blair: Did I ever think I'd be doing this again? I hoped I would. God, after El Jefe, after Guillermo, I'm going to sound thick as a plank, because he really manages you guys so well. But I hoped I'd be playing Liz. The first one was such an introduction to the story of Hellboy that I always thought the meat would be in the second and third, at least for Liz, because in the first one she was afraid to take a step. She was completely a zombie, not wanting to own up to her power and having the memory of what she'd created in her life. So yeah, I was really eager to come and play Liz with a little more vibrancy.

SHH!: Did it take much time to get back into the role?
Blair: Well, it's taken four years, but I thought it would be so simple, you know? I'd just come and I already know this girl, but I realized I don't know her at all, because I don't know her as a woman. And she's a woman in this one, and she's not moping around. That's kind of just in my cell memory as a person, of my pre-conceived idea of what Liz was in the first one. It seems like such a straightforward role, but it's really been a challenge for me not to suck the energy out of Liz, because that's kind of how I played her in the first one. She was like in a vacuum, so it would really, really ruin the movie if I played it that way. So it's been a little bit of a challenge for me.

SHH!: Was the haircut something you suggested or was it you and Guillermo together
Blair: You know, it was together. I basically went nuts and shaved my head. I didn't go nuts at all. There was actually a girl that wanted my hair, and I'm a giver, so I gave it to her. So I did that to make a wig for a child, but then I made it a fashion thing, that I had this strange-shaped head. So I thought, oh God, Guillermo's going to kill me. But I was wigged in the first one. I had short hair then, too, so he saw the short hair and he really wanted it, but I think he thought it would look like Liz had a bit too much of a moment in the four years since we last saw her. You know, who is she now? I think it's a little anime inspired. That was kind of Guillermo having her stronger. Yeah, I think the first one also brought my face down, literally. It was really a gravity type of thing, and we didn't want that as much.

SHH!: So you've shacked up with Hellboy. How's that working out?
Blair: [Sigh] Well, it's worked out about as well as my marriage in real life. (laughter) It has its troubles. No, no, no, we're very good friends. It's not that bad a thing. It's not that bad a thing. No, it's difficult living with someone, especially a guy that takes up as much room as Hellboy, with as many cats as Hellboy has. So no, we are very happily together, but there's trouble with spending so much time with someone you love, after you're used to being alone and having your way. Now I use my power a little more in this one, so between my fire and his sloppy little boy behavior, we're a mess. A lovable mess.

SHH!: Why are you carrying a gun? Isn't the fire enough?
Blair: You'd think so. Talk to Guillermo about that. And it's really embarrassing. Obviously, I wouldn't pull this out if it weren't completely rubber, but yeah, it's really embarrassing that I spend so much time in this movie holding this gun up and I'm just like, to Abe/Doug, next to me, I'm like, "Jesus Christ, don't I have fire f