SELMA BLAIR
THEN: Every couple of weeks we talk about some of the coolest genre stars in this column. And while this week is certainly no exception, this talented actress has also done a few awesome non-genre flicks that I may just have to bring up. This includes a freaky black comedy from filmmaker Todd Solondz and even a John Waters journey into the bizarre. And of course, there are a few kick ass teen flicks, one involving an iconic kiss with Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. The other… I’ll bet you CAN’T HARDLY WAIT until it’s revealed – yes, I went there. And the geek cred didn’t stop there. Not even close. So let’s take a look at one of the most intriguing actresses to ever take on the genre, and if you haven’t guessed yet, we are talking the lovely Miss Selma Blair.
Selma Blair began her career auditioning. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the actress had to audition 75 times before she booked anything. She even auditioned for the title role in a little series called Buffy the Vampire Slayer – she didn't get the role. From an appearance on a kids series called The Adventures of Pete & Pete in 1995 – her first professional gig – and a role in the Kevin Kline comedy IN & OUT in 1997, she was leaning towards comedy. Her first trip to horror is a bit of a surprise. Did you know that she was the voice on the phone talking to Cici (yes, that is Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character) in SCREAM 2 in 1997? I did not. While that may be a minor blip in the world of horror, it’s still pretty cool.
Here is where I step outside the genre for a bit. In 1998, Ms. Blair appeared with several young actors who went on to bigger and better things. CAN’T HARDLY WAIT is one of those flicks that resonated with an entire generation. Very rarely do you hear folks trash this teen dream of a flick. To be fair though, she has a very small role that is credited as “Girl Mike Hits On #1” so there is that. But it was 1999 that brought the actress a ton of attention for a very intense kiss with the vampire slayer herself. CRUEL INTENTIONS was a teen version of DANGEROUS LIASONS, and for many, it was a teen trash cult classic. And I mean that in the best of ways. Personally, I loved this movie in all sorts of ways.
The actress worked constantly after that. She appeared in movies like LEGALLY BLONDE, STORYTELLING and KILL ME LATER (all in 2001). In the 2002 flick HIGHWAY, she appeared opposite a couple of familiar faces, including Jake Gyllenhaal and Jared Leto. And in 2004 she busted out in the John Waters comedy, A DIRTY SHAME. That same year, she was a part of one of the most exciting collection of actors ever put on screen. In Guillermo del Toro’s fan favorite HELLBOY, Selma starred as Liz Sherman and she kicked ass. With Ron Perlman, Doug Jones and the late John Hurt, this gave Blair the chance to become an instant genre favorite, and she was terrific in the role. More on HELLBOY later…
One of the very few things that I can give a little praise to regarding the terrible remake of THE FOG (2005) is that Selma Blair was a good choice for DJ Stevie Wayne. In fact, she almost made the film watchable. Unfortunately, the shite CGI and the terrible script made this one of the worst remakes ever produced – at least for this viewer. But we won’t blame Selma for that one at all. She did her best with that. Following that, Selma made THE DEAL with Christian Slater, and she took on PRETTY PERSUASION with the talented Evan Rachel Wood. Both films in 2005. The following year she returned to play Liz Sherman in Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms and she continued to voice the role in Blood and Iron in 2007. This is a role she clearly has a serious affection for.
In 2007, the actress joined Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George and Tom Hardy for the thriller THE KILLING GENE – why have I not seen this? But in 2008, fans were thrilled to see her return to the big screen for HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY. Arguably better than the original, this sequels success was hampered by the release of THE DARK KNIGHT, however it still holds a special place in the hearts of HELLBOY fans – mine included. The film did manage to make more money than the first film, so it’s a real shame that we are still waiting for a sequel, one which we are likely never to see. That is until they ultimately reboot it with a brand new cast and director. What a shame because I really loved what del Toro did with this awesome character. However, she did have another shot at Liz in Hellboy: The Science of Evil video game that was released that same year.
Following up the sequel, Blair was featured in a number of films. She received positive critical response in THE POKER HOUSE (2008). She starred in the short lived sitcom Kath & Kim (2008 – 2009). There was THE FAMILY TREE (2011), DARK HORSE (2011) and the horror flick IN THEIR SKIN, as well as the George Gallo directed thriller COLUMBUS CIRCLE in 2012. From shorts to features to theatre, Selma Blair continued to work, and in fact, she still does quite often. She also appeared in an episode of the awesome series Portlandia and the Lisa Kudrow series Web Therapy. And speaking of televiision, you could also find her taking on Charlie Sheen in the series Anger Management from 2012 – 2014.
NOW: This past year happened to be a pretty busy year for Selma Blair. She appeared as Kris Jenner in the award winning series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. And on top of that, she took a trip to an ORDINARY WORLD along with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. There was MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS and an appearance on a series called Bookaboo. Next up, she returns to horror in a creepy sounding feature called MOM AND DAD. Starring opposite Nicolas Cage, the film tells the story of a mass hysteria that turns parents violently against their own kids. Ugh… that sounds disturbing.
Selma Blair is cool as hell. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing her before and she was just terrific. While it would be great to see yet another HELLBOY with the original cast, I think we’ve all given up on that. That said, I’d be happy to see her return in animated form. Blair is a talented and lovely woman, and I look forward to checking out what nasties MOM AND DAD bring home. Not only is she an accomplished actress in film, television and theatre, she has a huge heart who is involved with a number of worthy charities. Thank you Selma for Liz, and frankly, for everything else. You can follow this terrific talent on Twitter and Instagram. I’d highly recommend doing so.