Actor Ron Perlman details his experiences making the film The Name of the Rose, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. Perlman reveals behind-the-scenes accounts of the production, including his physical transformation for the role of Salvatore and his interactions with co-star Sean Connery.
The Production Realities Behind Salvatore and the Franciscan Abbey
- Ron Perlman created Salvatore’s unique multi-language speech pattern by cross-referencing translations of Umberto Eco’s novel in seven different languages.
- Director Jean-Jacques Annaud avoided relying solely on imagination, hiring medievalist Jacques Le Goff and seven colleagues to ensure historical accuracy in costumes and architecture.
- Christian Slater secured the role of the novice Adso after auditioning without learning his lines, while Sean Connery was cast as William of Baskerville following a direct pitch to the production.
How Jean-Jacques Annaud Built a Medieval World From Scratch
The cinematic adaptation of Umberto Eco’s novel began when director Jean-Jacques Annaud discovered the Italian murder mystery about monks searching for a missing part of Aristotle’s Poetics. When Annaud asked practical historical questions about Franciscan shoes and pig colors during their car ride to Charles de Gaulle airport, Eco admitted he had not considered those details. To fill the gap, Annaud hired medievalist Jacques Le Goff and seven colleagues to advise on liturgy, architecture, and costumes.
For the lead role of friar William of Baskerville, Annaud scouted international actors in their 50s. Talent agent Mike Ovitz repeatedly called to pitch Sean Connery for the part. Eventually, Connery arrived at Annaud’s door with the screenplay under his arm, reading dialogue that matched what the director had imagined while reading the novel. Meanwhile, Christian Slater won the part of the novice Adso despite arriving unprepared and telling the casting director he had gotten drunk instead of learning his lines. Production built a vast set on a hilltop near Rome to house the monastery and village, though physical hazards marked the shoot. During the final library tower fire scene, Connery’s cowl caught fire, and a falling timber beam struck 80-year-old actor Feodor Chaliapin Jr. Knocked to the ground, Chaliapin asked if the take was good before heading to the hospital.
Ron Perlman Invented Salvatore’s Seven-Language Dialect
Ron Perlman joined the cast as Salvatore, an intellectually challenged hunchback, after previously working with Annaud on the film Quest for Fire. Because the novel had been published in 80 languages, Perlman acquired copies in the seven tongues referenced by Eco’s character. He mapped out Salvatore’s dialogue by flipping through the texts and selecting words at random from Latin, Spanish, Italian, and other languages. Perlman worked with a dialect coach and historian to craft the lullaby Salvatore sings while burning at the stake, a choice intended to convey the character’s childlike wonder and lack of reality.
| Cast Member | Role in The Name of the Rose | Production Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Connery | William of Baskerville | Cast after bringing the screenplay to Annaud’s door; cowl caught fire during the library burning scene. |
| Christian Slater | Adso | Auditioned without learning lines after getting drunk; son of casting director Mary Jo. |
| Ron Perlman | Salvatore | Created a seven-language jumble for the character using translated copies of Umberto Eco’s novel. |
| Feodor Chaliapin Jr. | The blind monk | Struck by a falling timber beam during the library fire at age 80, asking only if the take was good. |
Financial pressures accompanied the physical scale of the production. Four months into filming in Rome, Annaud returned to his Munich production office to find producer Bernd Eichinger sitting with his feet on a table. Eichinger informed the director that he had sold the building to help pay for the film’s budget.
