Ron Perlman, the famous actor known for his roles in Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy, and Beauty and the Beast, had a bizarre experience when he accidentally wandered onto the set of a horror movie and became the lead actor.
Perlman, who was in Los Angeles for a meeting with his agent, said he was looking for a coffee shop when he saw a sign that said “Filming in progress. Do not enter.” Being curious and bored, he decided to ignore the sign and see what was going on.
“I thought it was some kind of prank or hidden camera show, so I just walked in and pretended to be part of the crew,” Perlman said. “I saw some people dressed in costumes and makeup, and I thought they were actors. I didn’t realize they were actually zombies.”
Perlman said he was greeted by a man who introduced himself as the director and handed him a script. He said he didn’t have time to read it and just followed the instructions.
“The director told me to go to a cabin in the woods and wait for the zombies to attack me. He said I had to fight them off with whatever I could find. He also gave me a fake gun and told me to shoot them in the head,” Perlman said.
Perlman said he thought it was all a joke and played along. He said he had fun pretending to be scared and shooting at the zombies, who were actually stuntmen and extras.
“I was having a blast. I thought it was hilarious. I even improvised some lines and made some jokes. I thought the director was laughing with me, but he was actually laughing at me,” Perlman said.
Perlman said he realized something was wrong when he saw a camera crew filming him. He said he asked the director what was going on and learned that he was actually starring in a low-budget horror movie called “Night of the Living Dead 2: Revenge of the Zombies”.
“The director told me that he had cast some unknown actor for the lead role, but he didn’t show up. He said he saw me walking in and thought I was perfect for the part. He said he didn’t tell me the truth because he wanted to capture my genuine reactions,” Perlman said.
Perlman said he was shocked and angry at first, but then he calmed down and decided to take it as a compliment.
“He said I did a great job and that I saved his movie. He said he would pay me and give me credit. He also apologized for tricking me and asked me if I wanted to do a sequel,” Perlman said.
Perlman said he declined the offer and left the set. He said he still doesn’t know if the movie will ever be released or if anyone will see it.
“It was a crazy experience, but I guess it was also kind of fun. Maybe it will become a cult classic someday. Who knows? Maybe I’ll win an Oscar for it,” Perlman joked.