Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy to visit child for Make-A-Wish Foundation

Spectral Motion make up actor and friend to look like movie hero

By Dave Lewis Saturday, Jul 7, 2012 4:58 PM

Hellboy (Ron Perlman) greets his fan, Zachary

Credit: Make-A-Wish

Although his Devilish name suggests otherwise, Hellboy is actually a pretty angelic kind of guy.

Ron Perlman, who played the comic book-derived superhero in two films directed by Guillermo del Toro, paid a special visit to a child in a hospital via the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

While most kids seem to wish to meet sports icons or even movie stars, 6-year-old Zachary, who's undergoing treatment for leukemia, wanted to meet someone much cooler: Hellboy.

The Foundation contacted "Hellboy" makeup wizards Spectral Motion with his request, and they brought in Perlman, who jumped at the chance to put on the heavy red makeup, oversized right hand, and trademark trench coat once again for the daylong visit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Zachary was even made up to look like a miniature Hellboy for the day.

Spectral Motion has more pics of the encounter on their Facebook page.

Perlman and del Toro are re-teaming for the upcoming "Pacific Rim," and have long flirted with the idea of a third "Hellboy" film.

Dave Lewis
Producer

Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.

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Intellectual Ninja

I tweeted about this a bunch yesterday, because it literally is one of the best things I've ever read about.

Ron Perlman is aces in my book, and will be forever more for doing this for young Zachary.

I made their picture on the couch my desktop picture. When I read the original report on SHH, it got dusty in my apartment all of the sudden.

I know there's a lot of cynical people out there who think that what Make A Wish does is tantamount to "empty gestures" for kids who're fighting a losing battle, but they totally and completely discount what a wish fulfilled can bring: HOPE.

The human spirit is a majestic entity that lives and thrives on hope. You take all hope away, the spirit will die, and so soon will the person. But if you feed the spirit with hope, and laughter, and goodness... then sometimes, miracles can occur. The spirit and mind are very powerful, and when working in conjunction can do miraculous things.

That makes what Mr. Perlman (or any other person who helps grant wishes for Make A Wish) has done here so wonderful and so important.

This past week, Hellboy helped brighten the life of this young boy, and who knows what good what was in actuality a simple gesture of humanity, will yield.

In the past few months I've been struggling with my faith in the decency of humanity, brought on by memories of my past fueled by events in the nation, but it is acts like this, by Mr. Perlman, that reaffirm that humanity can be decent without even trying hard to be so.

What a wonderful story. I know there are more stories like this out there, and I wish we didn't have to hunt and peck to find them. They should ALWAYS be front and center, to help balance out the horrors that otherwise occupy the headlines.

Thank you, Ron Perlman. And all my wishes and prayers of wellbeing for Zachary.

Selah.
July 7, 2012 at 5:53PM EST Reply to Comment
- Anne Selah,
  That was an exceptionally beautiful comment.
  I think people like you make the world a better place too!
  Blessings,
  Anne
  
  July 7, 2012 at 6:14PM EST
- Intellectual Ninja Thank you, Anne. But my name's not actually Selah (though, that would be a pretty damn cool name!).
  
  I can't lie, I borrow it from one of the best sports journalists to ever live, the late, GREAT Furman Bisher of the AJC, who used it to close his columns for years, and whenever I have something to write that is something like this, I use it as a memorial to him.
  
  Selah is an Old Hebrew word most often found in Psalms. It is a very rough translation to English, because the concept doesn't quite match-up, but it roughly means "stop and listen," "pause and think on that," or "measure carefully and reflect."
  
  I like it. And so liked Furman Bisher, whose columns were so wonderfully written with a beautiful, rhythmic prose.
  July 7, 2012 at 6:27PM EST