Selma Blair, 36, made her name by snogging Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions, the teenage remake of Dangerous Liaisons, almost a decade ago. After popping up in a string of supporting roles, Blair enjoyed her first hit as leading lady with 2004's Hellboy. Her new film is its sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which is released next week.
Were you happy to avoid wearing prosthetics on Hellboy 2? Some of your co-stars weren’t so lucky…
So happy. I’d take the p*** out of everyone. I’d say: ‘God, this cotton shirt is so hot and they made me do up all the buttons on my jacket today.’
You recently turned 36. What did you do for your birthday?
I went surfing for the first time at Venice Beach. I stood up and caught my own waves. I loved it.
But you did have to ‘burn’.
I didn’t know until I saw the film that I would actually be ablaze a lot. I thought there would just be fire coming out of my hands. I was quite grateful in retrospect because nothing covers up bad acting like a good flame. Guillermo Del Toro [the film’s director] knows how to save a girl.
What super power would you want to have?
I’d like to fly. When I was at school and they were going through all the careers, I said I wanted to be an astronaut. I went home and told my mother. She said: ‘It’s going to be such a rocky ride and you’ll be strapped in for a long time.’ I was really disappointed. I thought I’d get wings and just fly to the Moon. That was my first reality check and it hit me hard. I’m still disappointed.
You had to gain weight for your new role in the US remake of Australian comedy Kath And Kim. How was that?
Unpleasant. I’d have lacerations on my body from my shorts being so tight. They’d yell ‘Cut!’ and people would come over with a bathrobe because I was so embarrassed about the flab rolling over. It was so ugly. That and my double chin. I’ve lost the weight but it’s difficult to get it off as you get older.
I thought I’d get wings and just fly to the Moon. That was my first reality check and it hit me hard. I’m still disappointed
How would you describe your own style?
Fashion’s important to me, especially as an actress. It’s wardrobe, it helps tell the story. It’s the first thing you see. It’s such a politically incorrect thing to say but when I was thinner it was easier because everything fit so well. It’s a thin girl’s game. When you’re a regular person you have to fit into regular clothes and things don’t feel as special when you can’t fit into the teeny-weeny things. I don’t get as excited now. I’d love to be richer so I could spend boatloads of cash on something as frivolous as fashion.
Were there ‘Selma Blair is fat’ pictures in the tabloids?
Yes, plus the character’s fashion sense is really horrific. I’m wearing a lot of bright clothes and I don’t wear anything except black and white in real life. I’m wearing orange and blue together. It’s horrible. And wedge flip-flops all the time, toe rings, and an anklet. I have long hair, too, so I have these horrifying extensions and these long nails. It’s so embarrassing.
Did you have any embarrassing experiences while shooting Kath And Kim?
A fan asked me for an autograph and I said: ‘Oh sorry, I’m in wardrobe.’ I was wearing this ridiculous tube top with a big rhinestone star on the side and these little shorts. It was visually appalling. I said: ‘I’m sorry, I’ll try and cover up.’ And she said, ‘I think it looks cute,’ and I thought: ‘Oh, she’s dressed like this too, so I need to be careful what I say, I don’t want to sound like a jerk.’ I said: ‘Don’t pay attention to my nails. Hideous! For the character.’ I gave her the autograph and saw she had the exact same nails. I’ve realised I need to shut up and not condemn people’s fashion choices.
Hellboy is a strange boyfriend. What’s the strangest date you’ve been on?
A guy once said he was surprised at how much better I looked when he first asked me out. It was literally the first thing he said: ‘Wow, you were so pretty that day I asked you out.’ I should have got up and left but I didn’t because I was hungry. That hunger thing makes you endure a lot of insults.
Do you read stories about yourself on the internet?
I did when I was in Budapest [filming Hellboy 2] because I was there by myself and I got lonely at night. I looked at pictures of dogs in LA animal shelters then I got bored and went on gossip sites. Sometimes it’s fun to see someone’s bag or think ‘She looks good’ or ‘Oh my God, who’s that person? Oh, it’s me in the morning!’ Posing for the paparazzi is for the youngsters.
Do you attract comic-book geeks these days?
I guess so. There are some nice geeky fans. They’re cute, too. I like geek boys. I married one [Ahmet Zappa]. I divorced one. But we’re still very good friends. He sent me flowers for the premiere.
METRO.CO.UK, by Lesley O'Toole
