Jeremy Renner was offered the titular role in ‘Hellboy’.
The 48-year-old actor has revealed he very nearly took on the role of the titular demon in Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 fantasy movie – which is based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola – but after he was unable to "connect" to the story, the part eventually went to Ron Perlman, who has since become well known for the role.
Speaking about his offer, Jeremy said: "I was just reading the script and [thinking] like, ‘I don’t get this …’ I just couldn’t connect to it. 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."
And although Jeremy admits he turned down a lot of money by not taking the role, he has "zero regrets" about skipping the opportunity, because he’s sure he "wouldn’t have fit" into the franchise.
Speaking to Justin Long on his ‘Life is Short’ podcast, 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."
Following the success of 2004’s ‘Hellboy’, Ron Perlman returned to the role in 2008 for sequel ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’.
The franchise was rebooted earlier this year with David Harbour in the lead role, which saw a grittier side to the titular character as it was given an R rating.
David said of the movie: "There’s really a sense that you’re actually killing things, even if they are giants or monsters.
"You’re chopping their heads off, you’re bathing in their blood and you’re feeling the complex feelings of actually cutting the heart out of another thing.
"We’re taking the time to deal with the fact that Hellboy is a killer. He’s a weapon."
Jeremy Renner almost starred in Hellboy
