Ron Perlman: Guillermo del Toro got me Hellboy role

Ron Perlman has revealed that Guillermo del Toro fought hard to get him a role in Hellboy. 

The actor played the comic demon in both 2004's Hellboy and its follow up in 2008, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, both of which were directed by Del Toro.

According to Digital Spy, the actor said he owes a lot to Del Toro.

"He fought for a long time to win me that role. You can never imagine the battle he had to put up. He invested a great deal of his own personal stock," Perlman admitted.

The star, who won a Golden Globe in 1989 for his role in TV series Beauty and the Beast, also said that Hellboy has changed his career for the better.

He admitted he has been "very, very busy" since finishing the second instalment, whereas before he was not "all that busy".

The Sons of Anarchy star will next be seen in cinemas in Season of the Witch.