How 11 actors from the film "Van Helsing" looked without makeup and graphics (11 photos)

A long forgotten but interesting film

Hugh Jackman – Gabriel Van Helsing





Hugh Jackman started acting in films in the 90s, and his first role was in the series "Correlli". It was thanks to him that he met his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness, with whom he lived for many years before they went their separate ways, while remaining best friends. A few years later, Russell Crowe was offered to play Wolverine in "X-Men". He refused, but recommended Hugh Jackman. The filmmakers took the young actor into consideration, but invited him only after they had exhausted all other options. The success of X-Men allowed Hugh to play Gabriel in Van Helsing, which, notably, was inspired by old James Bond films. And this is interesting because after Van Helsing, Jackman was offered to play Bond in the 2006 film, but he turned it down and made way for Daniel Craig. In the following years, Hugh added such films to his filmography as The Prestige, Les Miserables, Prisoners, Real Steel, The Greatest Showman and Logan - after the last film, Jackman planned to give up Wolverine completely, but seven years later he returned to the role in Deadpool and Wolverine.



Despite the fact that Kate Beckinsale was the first contender for the role of Anna Valerius, director Stephen Sommers rejected her candidacy after The New World because the films were similar to each other and he did not want comparisons in all aspects. However, Kate still ended up getting the lead female role, which she really liked despite the fact that the film itself was criticized. Kate began her Hollywood career back in 1998, and before that she performed in her home country in various films and TV series, as well as in theater productions. She gained international recognition in 2001 with the action film Pearl Harbor, although she was very upset when Michael Bay said he cast Kate because she was "not very pretty". It was Pearl Harbor that launched Beckinsale's career as an action actress. Although she has added The Aviator, Serendipity and Click to Play, it was Van Helsing and the Underworld series that had the greatest impact on her career, as well as the lesser-known Hottie, Total Recall and The Black Canary Files.

Richard Roxburgh – Count Dracula





The first peak of Richard Roxburgh's career came in the 2000s, when "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "Van Helsing", "Moulin Rouge!" and "Mission Impossible 2" were released. Despite the fact that Richard had been acting for quite a long time, he received recognition only with these films. After Roxburgh's popularity began to wane, although his demand was still quite high, which allowed him to act every year, but Richard managed to declare himself again in 2010 with the series "Rake", which came to an end only after eight years.

Elena Anaya - Alira



At one time, Elena Anaya was one of the most famous Spanish actresses, whose fame was so high that she easily made her way to Hollywood, where she starred in several popular films, including "Van Helsing" and "Wonder Woman". However, Spain remains the place where Elena Anaya has achieved her greatest success, especially with films such as The Skin I Live In and Room in Rome. However, in recent years she has become much less in demand and has only starred in four films since 2017.

Josie Maran – Mariska



Josie Maran initially started out in the modeling business. At the age of seventeen, she signed her first contract, collaborated with Elite, Glamour and Guess, and then began to build up her acting portfolio thanks to various commercials and music videos, after which she began to appear in her first films - her debut took place in 2002, but since then she played only seven roles and ended her acting career in 2006. Josie is also widely known to fans of the game "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" - she played Mia Townsend, who takes care of the main character throughout the game.

David Wenham - Carl



Although many know David Wenham for his role as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings, he first gained recognition with the series Sea Change, which he starred in in 1998 and 1999. Interestingly, David almost didn’t get Faramir, as Peter Jackson first offered the role to Ethan Hawke, but Ethan turned it down, allowing Wenham to seize the opportunity. David later played Karl in Van Helsing, the main character’s assistant, who is partly based on the infamous Bond agent Q. Wenham has also delighted fans with his appearances in 300 and its sequel, Australia, Pope Joan, Iron Fist, Lion, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Silvia Colloca – Verona



Verona was one of the first roles for Silvia Colloca, for whom acting seemed to be more of a hobby than a job, because in more than twenty years she appeared in only twelve full-length films. Interestingly, Colloca not only met Richard Roxburgh on the set of Van Helsing, but also charmed him so much that he proposed to her a few months later. In addition, Silvia is also known for several cooking shows and for being an opera singer.

Robbie Coltrane – Dr. Jekyll



In the film "Van Helsing", Robbie Coltrane did not play the role of Dr. Jekyll, but only voiced him, because the motion capture belonged to another actor. Shortly before this, Robbie played a minor role in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets". The role of Hagrid became the most important in his entire career. Although audiences also knew him from Cracker's Method, GoldenEye and Nuns on the Run, Coltrane had an exceptionally warm attitude towards Harry Potter because he had never been trusted to play such positive characters before - due to his first villainous roles and his distinctive appearance, Coltrane was given only negative characters, antiheroes or simply not very nice people, but Hagrid was a completely different case.

Shuler Hensley - Frankenstein's Monster



Shuler Hensley played Frankenstein's Monster, for whom Van Helsing was not the first collaboration with Hugh Jackman. They had already performed in the musical Oklahoma!, and also played in the film Flirting with the Beast. It is noteworthy that in the film Hensley played not only the Beast, but also Dr. Jekyll – it was he who gave this character his movements. Some time later, Hensley played the Beast again, but this time in the Broadway production Young Frankenstein, and in The Whale he played the role of Charlie. Interestingly, 10 years later The Whale was filmed by director Darren Aronofsky, and this film helped Brendan Fraser return to Hollywood.

Tom Fisher - undertaker



Tom Fisher played an undertaker who appears in joint scenes with Kate Beckinsale and is remembered only because of his creepy appearance. Fisher, in his entire career in cinema, which has lasted more than forty years, starred in 44 films and TV series, including "Shanghai Knights", "The Illusionist", "The Young Victoria", "Peter Kingdom Will Not Abandon You" and others. In addition, he acted as a screenwriter three times and directed the film "Radiator".

Kevin O'Connor - Igor



In Van Helsing, Igor went over to Dracula's side, and this far from pleasant and loyal character was played by Kevin O'Connor, who has starred in many films with Van Helsing director Stephen Sommers. Their first work was Deep Rising, followed by The Mummy, Van Helsing, G.I. Joe and There Will Be Blood. In addition, Kevin is known for Lord of Illusions, Deep Rising, Hero and Steel Magnolias.