Easy Street (the Hard Way): A Memoir

by Ron Perlman

The engaging, passionate, always-honest, and often-hilarious memoir of actor Ron Perlman--his triumphant story of perseverance and determination navigating the slippery slopes of Hollywood, with a foreword by Guillermo del Toro Ron Perlman was a kid who had a myriad of self-image issues, yet he triumphed in an industry that trades on image and self-confidence. He landed a leading role in Quest for Fire. He won a Golden Globe for Beauty and the Beast. And he played the title role in two Hellboy movies, becoming along the way an icon among sci-fi and comic book fans worldwide. Although his name may be unknown to some, most people know Ron Perlman's face, despite the fact that for nearly half his career he's been disguised under feature-altering foam-rubber prosthetics. On his offbeat path to success, Ron has amassed nearly 200 stage, TV, voiceover, and major motion picture credits, including roles in Drive, Pacific Rim, and a six-year gig as the badass biker boss Clay Morrow in Sons of Anarchy. In Easy Street (the Hard Way), Ron shares his life story, starting with his up-by-your-bootstraps background in New York's Washington Heights.
His father, a Swing Era drummer, gave up his dream in order to feed his sons while his mother worked as a municipal clerk. Ron's hard-earned road to Easy Street included bouts of abject poverty, heartbreaking familial episodes, and a long, often uncomfortable struggle for self-acceptance. He sheds light on his life as a working actor and also offers behind-the-scenes insight into the working styles of internationally famous directors, including Jean-Jacques Annaud, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy and Academy Award-winning Pan's Labyrinth). He provides his own peek into Hollywood, up close and personal, where he has encountered the likes of Marlon Brando, Sean Connery, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and others. Plus, he turns his eye on the trajectory of American culture--the good and the bad--as observed by a man who started out in a mom-and-pop world where the arts were disseminated by individuals rather than corporations. Easy Street (the Hard Way) will inspire anyone who has ever dared to dream and offers a roadmap to the next generation of dreamers.

• ISBN10: 0306823446
• ISBN13: 9780306823442
• Publish Date: 30 September 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 5 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US
• Imprint: Da Capo Press Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 328
• Language: English

Reviews

[pamela]

It's difficult to judge Ron Perlman's 'Easy Street: The Hard Way', because it really all comes down to how you feel about Ron Perlman. I love Ron Perlman, so it was no stretch to assume that I would like this book.

'Easy Street' is written in a way that perfectly emulates Perlman's voice. When I was reading it, I could literally hear his distinctive tones in my head giving the book a sense of realism. It has a blunt honesty in it which was refreshing, and yet within this honesty one also has the sense that Perlman is aware that his memory is fallible, and the important thing is to tell a good story. It had some moments of depth, gave a great insight in to the man, his upbringing and his career and was a genuinely enjoyable read.

If you're a fan of Perlman, there is nothing in this book you won't enjoy, and if some of the slight pacing issues and the occasional lapse in to assumptions of profundity that aren't there start bothering you, just picture them said in Perlman's voice and all will be made right.