When you think of casting the character of Hellboy, imposing figures like Ron Perlman and David Harbour fit the profile well. However, Avengers: Endgame's Jeremy Renner recently revealed that Guillermo del Toro approached him to play the demonic title character in the 2004 film.
In a recent episode of Justin Long's Life is Short podcast, Renner detailed how he was offered the role of the red horned paranormal investigator. “I was just reading the script and [thinking] like, ‘I don’t get this…’ I just couldn’t connect to it,” Renner said. “I said, ‘I can’t find a way in [to this character], I don’t know what I’d be doing,’ so I had to say no.”
He added, “There’s zero regrets, zero. Most of the time it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m glad I didn’t do it,’ and it made sense to me. Not just Hellboy or whatever it was, and I’m not saying that it’s a good or bad movie, it’s not about that… I just wouldn’t have fit there.”
The role of Hellboy eventually went to Ron Perlman, who played the character in Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The franchise was rebooted this year, with David Harbour in the title role. Renner has since gone on to star in such roles as Sergeant First Class William James in The Hurt Locker and Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With his tale of turning down a role that he didn't feel fit to play, Jeremy Renner gives the world two things: a glimpse into an alternate universe where he was the Right Hand of Doom, and a lesson in how to reject work that you don't believe you are right for. While it would have been interesting to see Renner portray Hellboy in the initial film, it is heartening to hear that he stuck up for his beliefs and found success doing so.
(via Entertainment Weekly)