David Hyde Pierce Explains Turning Down Role Reprisal for Hellboy 2
Frasier star David Hyde Pierce had a role in Guillermo del Toro's first Hellboy movie, providing the voice of Abe Sapien with Doug Jones physically portraying the character. However, in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Pierce did not return, leaving it up to Jones to also voice the role.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Pierce reflected on turning down Hellboy II: The Golden Army. While he said that he couldn't remember for sure, the actor said it was probably out of respect for Jones. Pierce shared how it didn't feel right to continue voicing the role with Jones "doing all the heavy lifting," so that's the most likely reason for why he would step aside, allowing Jones to take full control of the Abe Sapien character.
Actor Ron Perlman as Hellboy in Guillermo del Toro's movie of the same name
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Abe Sapien was played by actor Doug Jones in Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
"I don't remember why I didn't do Hellboy 2," Pierce explained. "I only did the first one because Guillermo [del Toro] said he heard my voice for the character. I don't think he knew that Doug Jones, the actor who played him, was perfectly capable of doing a great voice, as well, which he subsequently did. So I think it was just that I felt like, 'Well, he should do it. He's playing the role again, he should do it, because he's doing all the hard work. He's doing all the heavy lifting in the tank with the mask and the [breathing apparatus].'"
David Hyde Pierce Turned Down Another Role Reprisal
Pierce also had the chance to revisit another character he'd played previously only to turn it down. Kelsey Grammer has revived Frasier with an all-new series on Paramount+, and it was such a hit that a second season is in the works. There have been some special appearances from Frasier characters, but Pierce has not appeared. Grammer has since said that he was told directly that Pierce just wasn't interested in playing Niles again, but that the door will stay open in case the actor changes his mind.
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Guillermo Del Toro from Cabinet of Curiosities with Pinocchio and Pan's Labyrinth posters in the background
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"I really wanted David Hyde Pierce to join us," Grammer said of the show in a Variety interview. "I did my best to have him come along for the ride. And at one point, he finally just said, 'I don’t really want to play the character anymore.' And that was fine."
As for where he can be seen, Pierce recently starred in the Max series Julia, which wrapped up its two-season run in December. Meanwhile, he will soon be seen in the new horror film The Exorcism alongside Russell Crowe and Sam Worthington. That film hits theaters on June 21.
Source: ComicBook.com
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
A prince of the mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth. Hellboy and his team must fight to stop him from locating the all-powerful Golden Army.
Director Guillermo del ToroRelease Date July 11, 2008Cast Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Ron PerlmanWriters Mike Mignola, Guillermo del ToroRating PG-13Runtime 2 HoursMain Genre ActionGenres Adventure, FantasyProducer Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike RichardsonProduction Company Universal Pictures, Dark Horse Entertainment, Internationale Filmproduktion Eagle, Lawrence Gordon Productions, Mid Atlantic Films, Relativity Media