Ron Perlman stars in 'Scorpion King 3'; says he's 'never been happier'

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Ron Perlman stars in "The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption," coming out on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on Jan. 10.

TORONTO - "Sons of Anarchy" star Ron Perlman doesn't mind being known as the most hated man on TV, a title recently given to his character Clay by a celebrity blog.

"I'm so proud of that," the 61-year-old said in his signature deep voice during a recent telephone interview from New York.

Perlman earned the moniker after his intimidating biker character on FX's "Sons of Anarchy" grew even more menacing in season 4, which recently aired in the U.S. (the series only started running on FX Canada in the fall).

Perlman also brought a chilling vibe to the recent acclaimed film "Drive," playing a velour tracksuit-wearing mobster at odds with Ryan Gosling's enigmatic character.

But while Perlman is so good at being bad, he also flourishes in more gentle roles, including Horus in "The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption," out on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on Jan. 10.

"I've never been happier because of the scope of the kind of characters that I'm getting to play," said Perlman, whose other recent films include "Conan the Barbarian" and "Season of the Witch."

"On the one hand I'm playing a couple of guys that are horrific. Like, the character in 'Drive' was not a beloved addition to my pantheon, as it were.

"But then there's King Horus, and these things keep emerging that allow me to explore different parts of humanity, which is what I'm obsessed with doing as an actor. (To) keep the people who I'm playing to — which is the greater audience out there — kind of on their toes and not able make any real decision about me one way or the other.

"It's a great position to be in."

In "The Scorpion King 3," the latest chapter in "The Mummy" franchise, King Horus of Egypt (Perlman) hires fallen sovereign-turned-assassin Mathayus (Calgary native Victor Webster) to protect his allies from an evil tyrant (Billy Zane).

Other cast members include UFC star Kimbo Slice and six-time WWE world champion Dave Bautista.

Director Roel Reine shot the film about a year ago in Thailand, even bringing cameras to some of its ancient temples.

"For me it was revelatory because I had never been to Thailand," said Perlman, who won a Golden Globe Award for playing shaggy man-beast Vincent opposite Linda Hamilton in the 1980s series "Beauty and the Beast."

"Those temples that you see at the end of the film are real. I mean, they've been there for over 1,000 years and they hold great meaning in the spiritual evolution of the Thai culture, so it's a privilege to even see them much less work amongst them."

The temples were just one of many authentic touches Reine brought to the eye-popping landscape and battle sequences.

"Roel is one of these guys who tries to put as much of what's in the frame in front of you as is humanly possible, with the knowledge that it's going to be augmented," said Perlman, star of the "Hellboy" franchise.

"He puts things that really exist on the set for real and then in post-production adds these other elements that just cannot be placed any other way but CGI.... It makes it less taxing on the imagination and easy to find the veracity of whatever it is you're trying to portray."

Perlman said his next film shoot will be in Toronto this month for a Guillermo del Toro sci-fi film with the working title "Pacific Rim."

The cast also includes "Sons of Anarchy" co-star Charlie Hunnam, with whom Perlman is also set to work with on the film "Frankie Go Boom."

"I don't work anymore without Charlie," Perlman said with a chuckle.

"I am being facetious, but I'll tell you what — there's worse guys to go through life with, that's for sure. We really, really have a great fondness for one another, Charlie and I."