In the originating story, Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart, the hell priest is androgynous, neither male or female, but with a feminine voice. However, when Barker was filming Hellraiser (1987), he asked his friend, Doug Bradley to take on the part.

Actress Jamie Clayton made history as the first woman to take on the role of Pinhead, the franchise's main villain, for a feature-length Hellraiser  film. Clayton gives it her all, crafting her own unique voice for the character while retaining some elements of prior Pinhead's deep and ever-present seductive tone.