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Benicio Del Toro transforms into Universal's classic monster for his latest film THE WOLFMAN and the Puerto Rican-born actor lobbied for the full on make-up and prosthetics in the tradition of his childhood favorite - Lon Chaney Jr.'s wolf man.  Benicio, a producer on THE WOLFMAN, pitched the idea for the monster movie remake to Universal and sold them on the idea of playing the role as originally intended rather than go for CGI.

"I'm a big fan of all these horror movies. Having the actor in the make-up was a big part of the movie."

While Benicio spent hours in the make-up chair for his hairy performance, the transformation between his character and the wolf man was entirely computer-generated much to the dismay of Rick Baker, the six-time Academy Award® -winning creature designer (An American Werewolf in London, The Nutty Professor) who designed Del Toro's wolf man look.

"I enjoy the technology and I enjoy when it's used right.  It pisses me off when they use it when it's something we could do perfectly fine on the day for half the amount of money.  The cost of one CG shot cost you can use it for the whole movie and it's real.  And it's gonna look like the wolfman.  They felt it was too old school I guess."

Director Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) would have like to go with the award-winning Rick Baker for the transformation but due to time constraints after replacing the original director cut his pre-production time and didn't allow for "flexibility." 

Rick Baker, however, was content that Benicio was a huge proponent of the old school effects. 

"I'm so glad they went with the make-up. I want to see what they do in the make-up.  I don't want to see what some computer animator think they should do."

Video: Watch THE WOLFMAN Movie Clip

Benicio isn't against using newer computer technology for the werewolf transformation.

"I think that CGI can enhance a picture.  It enhances this transformation. It helps."

Benicio's co-stars Hugo Weaving, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt also don't mind the CGI work but their preference tends to be for more traditional sets.

Hugo Weaving (The Matrix & Lord of the Rings trilogies) whose done his fair share of science fiction films prefers to work with live actors and sets as he did in THE WOLFMAN. According to Weaving, there was not much "suspension of belief" for this role and probably would not have signed on to this project if green screen were involved. 

"The most CGI I've ever done was on The Matrix but there wasn't much on that.  Again it was amazing sets and working with our directors and training.  If I did have to do a lot of green screen in a film, I would find that very wearing. I don't enjoy that particurly. It's a technical requirement. Something you have to do but its not why you sign up to be an actor in the first place.  I would rather much prefer to be on location or on set."

Benicio's view of green screen is different than Hugo Weaving's.

"Regarding green screen, green screen is really like doing stage work. You have to make-believe that there is a window. That something is really there or not there. And to convince the audience. It's part of acting. I don't have a problem with green screen. I did a movie Sin City and it was all done in green screen. I had fun." 

Benicio's WOLFMAN co-star Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Bram Stoker's Dracula) had his share of action scenes and outfit changes in THE WOLFMAN and experienced performance motion capture with Beowulf.  Does he mind computer-generated effects?

"I don't mind. It's more interesting if you're on set. But if it's CGI you need to get the effect -- so be it. They know what they're doing so I don't argue with it.      

Actress Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada) stars in her first monster/special effects movie with THE WOLFMAN and expressed her fondness for shooting on location for this film. The most fun time she's experienced on location was for her role in Sunshine Cleaning in Albuquerque, New Mexico with Amy Adams (Julie & Julia).

"I love being on location. I think you form a really close bond with people on location."

In regards to acting in a special effects film, Blunt's experience with the technical aspect of the film included action scenes with Benicio's wolf man. The effects were not what worried the Devil Wears Prada actress. 

"How do you really react to a werewolf?  What would you really do?  That was really something where you have to use your imagination.  You have nothing to draw from.  I've never seen one.  I don't know anyone that's every seen one. So I think I would ask people who have been in a life threatening situations - What happened?  What did you do?  They all kind of said the same thing.  They either fainted or they said nothing.  Literally your vocal chords lock out, you're so frightened."

The Victorian setting in THE WOLFMAN also required the young thespian to wear a corset once again following her role in The Young Victoria. 

"I don’t know why I managed to go from one corset to another. Sometimes can be a bit restraining but I think it's good for the Victorian era.  You want to create those constraints for the implications of what goes on in the world to be relevent.  So I appreciate doing the dress up."

The 'dress up' however, made it difficult for Blunt to move in an action scene with Benicio and Hugo.

I really found the action scenes in those clothes really tricky.  There's a scene where the Wolfman jumps on me and Hugo [Weaving] and I have to get up - he [Benicio Del Toro] actually yanked my entire skirt down as I was trying to get up. So that was probably the hardest stuff we had to do. 

Perhaps for Blunt, the future of special effects will include CGI corsets. 

THE WOLFMAN opens in theaters February 12.