Ron Perlman: Unless you're Brad Pitt or George Clooney, most actors can't pick their roles'

"The intense gaze, the pronounced jaw, the two wrinkles on his forehead it's impossible to look away when you're face to face with Ron Perlman. Because of the respect that the 75-year-old New York-born actor inspires, and because of everything he evokes: he has spent decades playing outsiders, thugs and tough action heroes, like the vigilante demon in the Hellboy saga, or the hunchback Salvatore in The Name of the Rose (1986)."

"Today, he returns with Ya No Quedan Junglas (2025), a Spanish-language film translated as There Are No Jungles Left. Directed by Luis Gabriel Beristain, Perlman plays the role of Theo, an aging American soldier living in San Sebastian, in Spain's northern Basque region. Upon losing his only friend, the protagonist ends up embroiled in a bloody tale of revenge. The film is tailor-made for an expert in crazed roles."

"We love revenge stories because we're all always looking for immediate justice, which doesn't exist in reality. We root for my character because [he does] things we'd like to do ourselves, he reflects, from his home in Los Angeles."

Ron Perlman is a 75-year-old New York-born actor known for playing outsiders, thugs and action heroes. He stars as Theo, an aging American soldier in San Sebastian, in the Spanish-language film Ya No Quedan Junglas (There Are No Jungles Left), directed by Luis Gabriel Beristain. The protagonist loses his only friend and becomes embroiled in a bloody tale of revenge. Perlman endures being repeatedly hit, punched, stabbed and set on fire in highly physical sequences. He remains dedicated to action roles even past retirement age. The film premiered in Spain on September 26, 2025. In his Los Angeles home he shouted "Silence!" to stop barking, then laughed.

Read at english.elpais.com