Ron Perlman: “This bastard won’t be around for long. An undesirable like him can only be passing through”

Ron Perlman has made a career o playing characters on the fringe of society. He returns in the lead role in Mexican director Luis Gabriel Beristáin’s gripping new movie No More Jungles (’Ya No Quedan Junglas’) set in San Sebastián, northern Spain.

Perlman delivers an absorbing performance as Theo, a reclusive ex-US serviceman who retires to Europe in search of a slower pace of life. He likes to keep himself to himself, but just when he appears to have found it - along with some company in Olga, a sex worker, his world is turned upside down. Theo finds himself entangled in Spain’s underworld, seeking revenge...

Familiar territory for the 75-year-old, who shone in similar haunting roles in The Name of the Rose (1986), Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and acclaimed TV series, Sons of Anarchy and Beauty and the Beast.

“We love revenge stories because we all crave instant justice—even though it doesn’t exist. We root for my character because he does what we wish we could,” Perlman explained while discussing his part in No More Jungles in an interview with El País.

Now in the twilight of his acting career, Perlman, says he has finally come to terms with his demons. He experienced a difficult and sometimes turbulent childhood, in which he was bullied for his appearance and mocked for “being weird”.

Perlman finally finds peace

“The best thing about getting older is you finally stop giving a damn what people think," he reasons. “You could have the most humiliating moment of your life—even crap your pants—and you just wouldn’t care. There’s something sexy about that attitude, and now I’m getting roles that reflect it.”

That must come as some relief for an actor who has been through his own fair share of hardship. There were several years when the phone didn’t ring at all until he managed to break into Hollywood in his 50s. No one was interested in hiring a old guy with an unusual face.

“I had some great roles early on, but they were few and far between. I went four years without work. It was a nightmare—especially financially. I needed years of therapy to turn that frustration into something useful,“ he recalls.

Prejudice reigns in Hollywood

“I just said yes to every role that came my way. It just so happened that many reflected my own inner battles. Unless you’re Brad Pitt or George Clooney, getting thousands of scripts, most actors don’t control their careers. I certainly never did,” adds Perlman. “In the US, casting often feels like a beauty contest. If you’re not textbook handsome, you don’t get the part. Funny how I only worked with French, Italian, and Mexican directors for the first 20 years.”

Fortunately, work has picked up. So much so, that Perlman has never been so busy. “The dry spells vanished, and now I’m on a nonstop work streak—which I love, because I’m a workaholic. The busier I am, the better. I’ll keep going until I’m in the coffin. And if there’s a way to act from there, I’ll find it.”

Perlman’s take on Trump

Politically, Perlman is a Democrat and while he is no fan of Donald Trump, he takes a philosophical view of the US president’s time in office. “It’s hard watching Trump attack our culture. He’s slashed funding and even wants to rename the Kennedy Center after Melania. But this guy won’t be around long. Someone like him is just passing through. You’ll see.”

Ya No Quedan Junglas went on general release in cinemas on 26 September.

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