Doug Bradley and his "toxic" masculinity that is. I don't care about the books so shut up about them.
shareActually, the book (as in, singular; I refuse to acknowledge that mindbogglingly awful The Scarlet Gospels) doesn't contradict that in any way, as Pinhead, the actual character, doesn't appear in it. An ambiguously-gendered cenobite who inspired his looks makes a single appearance as a secondary character, but that's it.
shareBradley rode that Hellraiser wave until they started sending him scripts that were so embarrassing he didn't want to do them. Even after how bad a lot of his later ones were. He has moved on.
shareWithout spoilers (I don't think it is a major spoiler anyway) there is kind of precedent in one of the comics which was IIRC co-written by Clive Barker where there is a "female pinhead". So I guess from that to a trans female pinhead ain't so much of a leap.
shareYeah, after seeing the trailer, the tranny had nothing on Bradley.
Bradley was imposing and mesmerizing; he was philosophically sound as something otherworldly yet commanding in his presence. He FELT like a final boss, even while he really wasn't doing anything evil in the first film, but rather carrying out a promise made by Frank.
Bradley absolutely nailed the role in the first two films. I have no inclination to watch the third one onward (though I have seen parts of Hellraiser: Bloodlines when it used to come on TV way back in the day).
Doug Bradley obviously is The Pinhead and he probably refused a cameo because he has moved on. Oh and the multiple terrible sequels might has have something to do with it too.
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