Billy Boyd - Pippin
London, UK, August 2003
What are your memories of
first getting the role of Pippin ?
I came into a hotel and Pete was lying on the sofa, it was very relaxed. Even
the casting director said, "You'd never know this was a Hollywood
movie." There was a camera there. There were about three scenes for Pippin
and I read them. About a month later I got a call to say I've got the part. I
was working on a new script in a theatre in Edinburgh and I got a message to
give my agent a call. And she says, "Guess who's playing Pippin in Lord Of
The Rings ?" I said, "Dunno, Leonardo DiCaprio ?" And that was
that, it was really weird. At this time, I was one of the first cast. They
hadn't even found Elijah or anything. I didn't know who else was gonna be in it.
What is your character's
defining moment ?
Somebody said the über-Pippin moment is knocking the skeleton down the
well. I think he learns a lot from that. I think the relationship between
Gandalf and Pippin is one of the most interesting things for me, and it really
comes to a head in Return Of The King. Doing ADR (additional dialogue
recording) for Return Of The King, I was amazed at how often I thought,
"In the first movie, Pippin would never have done that."
What is your fondest memory
of New Zealand ?
Just being part of this little tribe that travelled around. If we got a few days
off, we'd have a few beers and I'd beat Dom at pool. He's not very good. He
thinks he is. We did actually stay on a pool table in Queenstown, playing winner
stays on, all night, to the point that the pub phoned up their champions to come
and play us. And we beat them as well. Then two girls beat us and threw us off
the table. They were very good.
Describe Peter Jackson in
three words.
Passionate. Intelligent. Kind.
Why do you think Rings has
been so successful ?
The source material straightaway, it's one of the greatest stories ever told.
Then you get someone like Pete, who has the courage to tell the story through
his eyes and not fear that. I think if anybody went into this film with any
fear, it would have been a disaster.
What would you say to the
six people who didn't enjoy the trilogy ?
If you're the kind of person who doesn't enjoy a great story, with fantastic
action and some of the greatest acting you'll ever see, I can see why you
wouldn't like it.
What's your favourite piece
of Lord Of The Rings memorabilia ?
I don't want to spoil the story, but Pippin becomes a knight of Gondor and I got
my sword. It's a real sword, beautifully crafted. That'll be something to show
the grandchildren. Or hit them with.
Which of the other parts
would you like to have played ?
Arwen gets really nice frocks. She also gets to lie down a lot and I quite like
having a snooze. But I'd have to kiss Viggo. I'd rather kiss a horse.
How does it feel to say
goodbye ?
It's funny, we're doing ADR now and tomorrow is the last day I will be shot or
speak a line as Pippin. Dom's here. Viggo's here. And I think of them as two of
my greatest friends now. It's weird to think that the thing that brought us all
together is now finishing. But I'm an actor, and it's time to let the story go.
It's a sad thing, but the right time for it to happen as well.