The stars of Hellboy: The Crooked Man – Jack Kesy, Jefferson White, and Adeline Rudolph – joined director Brian Taylor and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola at the San Diego Comic-Con to launch the official trailer and pump up Hellboy fans. The trailer confirms this take on the character leans heavy into horror, and sticks closely to the source material.
In addition to the panel, the Hellboy: The Crooked Man cast took part in roundtable interviews in support of the film’s upcoming fall release. (The exact date hasn’t been confirmed.) Here’s what Kesy had to say about getting into character, the costume, and the intense action scenes.
Jack Kesy Hellboy: The Crooked Man Interview
Was it hard to move in the costume? Was it heavy?
Jack Kesy: ”It wasn’t so much it was heavy; it was uncomfortable as long hours went on and working every day. I don’t want to sound like a wah-wah-wah, you know, but it’s tough. It’s tough. And, you know, sometimes in Bulgaria you’d have a day that it’s like 95 degrees. And then we go in the woods and it’s like 40 degrees. And so, the sweat would turn to ice, so to speak.”
Did you do your own stunts?
Jack Kesy: “Absolutely. Not all of them, but maybe 80%? 85. I mean, I put my head through the wall over and over. I had drywall all over my hair, so that counts. […] I’ve got a pretty good left. I know how to roll. I’ve done a little bit of fighting.”
How did you react the first time you saw yourself in the full costume?
Jack Kesy: “Honestly, it was disbelief. Just from the minute I got the phone call, because it came out of nowhere. Like all good things come, I believe. So, seeing myself transform, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this.’ And it was a little nerve-wracking at first because it’s such a one-off thing. I’m used to being this, not acting with all that. I was like, ‘How am I going to do this?’ Just took it one day at a time, scene by scene.”
How did you get into the right mindset to play Hellboy?
Jack Kesy: “You know, honestly, it was close to home. I like to chain smoke, unfortunately still. I’m a little bit of a wisecrack. It came right off the paper, and I was like, ‘You know, I’m going to have a lot of fun with this.’”
Are you into comics?
Jack Kesy: ”No, honestly, I’ve dabbled. Honestly, I’m not a die-hard comic book guy. I learned a lot on the job, I learned a lot from fans who were actually writing me, ‘Make sure you do this, make sure you do that, and do that.’ It’s awesome, amazing. I still write them back, you know. They’re awesome. I love Hellboy fans.”
Are you a horror fan?
Jack Kesy: ”I’m not particularly a horror fan, but I like horror movies., I like a little bit of everything. I’m not prejudiced toward anything, like whatever’s good.”
Did you watch the original films?
Jack Kesy: ”I saw the first one years ago. I was actually in Comic-Con, I think, nine years ago with Guillermo del Toro at my first Comic-Con. So here I am again, nine years later, some connective tissue, without him. But it’s just funny how life goes.”
What sets this Hellboy apart from the other Hellboy films?
Jack Kesy: ”I mean, it’s so different. It’s pulled directly from the comic, right? From Mike’s comic book, almost frame by frame. Outside of Bobby Joe’s character and a couple of other scenes that were stitched together, it’s pretty much straight out of the comic book. It’s a lot darker, moodier, cinematic, I suppose, in a different way and more dope. It’s grimier. More spooky.”
Can you talk about your training and doing stunts in full makeup?
Jack Kesy: “Yeah, there’s nothing that really prepares you for that. I mean, I’m a pretty athletic guy. I used to fight, I was in the Marines, so I’m used to rumbling and tumbling around. But nothing really prepares you for the discomfort. You just have to get comfortable being uncomfortable and making it your own.”
Did the costume make you change the way you walk and move?
Jack Kesy: “It changed it for you. You know, the prosthetic went all the way down to your kind of groin area. It was super tight. Well, it started off super tight. By the end of that, I lost 15 pounds.”
The Plot, Courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment:
From the visionary director, writer, and producer Brian Taylor (Crank, Happy!), this film brings a chilling tale of survival against the forces of darkness. Set in the 1950s, rookie BPRD agent Bobbie Jo Song finds herself in a dire situation when tasked with delivering a spider to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. She must enlist the help of Hellboy to confront the malevolent Crooked Man, who has returned to Earth to harvest souls for the devil.
This post was last modified on August 5, 2025 12:34 pm