David Wenham - Faramir
Melbourne, Australia, October
2003
What are your memories of
first getting the role of faramir ?
My abiding memory is of feeling incredibly lucky - very, very lucky indeed. I
really had to pinch myself. It was amazing.
What is your fondest memory
of New Zealand ?
There were so many incredible moments. As much as I loved the country, it's the
camaraderie I'll always remember - the sense that we were working on something
very special, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Describe Peter Jackson in
three words.
A brilliant genius.
Are your Rings colleagues
going to be friends for life ?
A lot of people assume I must be great friends with Sean Bean, seeing as how I
played his brother - they think we must have spent weeks together to make the
relationship convincing. But the truth of the matter is, I didn't actually meet
Sean until after filming on The Two Towers had wrapped. I met him at a party and
we had a good chat. But while I didn't get to meet him on set until we did the
reshoots, I was lucky enough to have access to rushes of his work as Boromir, so
I was able to observe his performance and pick up the odd mannerism.
Why do you think Rings has
been so successful ?
Tolkien invented a universe. He treated his audience with respect, and so do the
films.
Which of the other roles
would you like to have played ?
Gollum would have been fun, but I don't think I've have been anywhere near as
good as Andy Serkis. Andy's work in the film is incredible. That voice will
haunt me forever. The problem with Faramir as a character is that, in The Two
Towers at least, he's a pretty dead character, dramatically. It says a lot for
the screenwriters that they were able to give me so much to get my teeth into.
What was the toughest thing
you had to do ?
I found the horses very unpredictable performers because I gew up in a suburb in
Sydney. I didn't grow up surrounded by horses, so it's a skill I had to learn.
You have to know that very few people ride horses in Australia. Most of them
live in the cities. But when an Australian rides a horse, he's unbelievable.
How does it feel to say
goodbye ?
A great shame. I know I won't do anything like this ever again.