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What do you think will
be your generation's reaction to The Lord of the Rings, a cultural
phenomenon for those who are a bit older ?
Elijah
Wood : The Lord Of The
Rings isn't very popular in my generation; my generation hasn't embraced
it yet. There is a group of kids that is mostly in to computers, that loves it,
but I don't think that it's loved by the masses yet, like it has been by
other generations. For that, I really hope that the movie can inspire a new
generation to appreciate and love the books, which would be great. The movie is
very appealing, for sure, but it's also very different from the books, in the
sense that they (the books) are a challenge, you have to put your mind to it, in
order to read them, they're not that easy. But it's something that they
could embrace, if they knew how brilliant they are. They have been too lazy to
seize the three books and read them.
When
did you read them the first time ?
EW
: There is a curious story with Billy Boyd. He had started to
read the book during his vacations. Half way through and he already
loved it. But he was in a pool and he dropped the book and it
fell in the water. Only three or four years later did he grabbed
it again... I read The Hobbit first. I had never read The Lord
Of The Rings before arriving in New Zealand, to start shooting.
I had the books, they were always on my shelve, to read them
eventually, but it never came to happen. I took the books with
me when I went to New Zealand, of course, and dove in to them
when I got there.
Have
you ever established any sort of parallel between Frodo's
journey and your own, in terms of your career ?
EW
: My career
hasn't been exactly a burden. There is nothing there that I
could compare to the Ring. I have been very lucky, for having
such a smooth path, in my career. Frodo's path is nothing but
smooth. There is no comparison. However, in terms of starting
from a certain point and get to where I am today, I grew up a lot,
certainly. It has been a journey, in that sense, to me. I grew
up as a person and I've been trying to grow up as an actor. In
that aspect there are really some common points. It happened a
lot on the way. I met a lot of people.
Is
The Lord Of The Rings a turning point to you ?
EW
: It's the most important project I've been involved so far.
I had never been a part of anything with this sort of potential
for such a big success. It's uncharted territory, for me. I feel
like this is the beginning of the rest of my life; that a new
phase for my career is opening. It gives me the chance to
explore new paths and open other doors. However, I don't know
what will happen. Nothing has happened yet. The movie is out
only now.
But
the fans recognize you already, in the street ?
EW
: As a matter
of fact, yes. When I was making the movie, in the middle of
production, I went home, to Los Angeles, for a week. I was
walking down the street and someone turned to me and said, 'Hi, Frodo'. It started very early. It has been gradual and
now the key moment has arrived.
And
there are still two years to go, before people can see the Trilogy’s remaining movies.
EW
: What's interesting about that, it just came to me now, is
that, usually when there is a trilogy, or a sequel, you don't know
what will happen next. But in this case, you know. And those
that haven't read the book need nothing more than to grab a
copy and see what will happen in the next movie. What a nice way
to cheat. It's not even cheating, so many have read the books
already. Cool, they wont have to wait that long.
How
did you get the part ?
EW
: I was very interested in being a part of this movie. My agent
called me saying that there would be a casting in LA. I wanted
to meet with Peter Jackson, but that was impossible at the time.
My only option was to go to the casting and record a tape. I
didn't like that idea much because I believed that the office
where the casting was going on wasn't the proper environment
to show the passion that I had for the project or to perform the
best I could. I decided that I needed to do something
special, even because they were looking for a british actor. So,
I went to a forest, dressed up in some cloths and recorded my
own tape. I don't like going to castings, I always get too
nervous. The tape ended up in Peter Jackson's hands and then
he went to LA.
Had
it ever happened before, to feel this sort of passion for a
project ?
EW
: I think that everything I've done so far, for one reason or
another, I did it because I really wanted to. I never did
anything that I wasn't in love with. We need to have a great
passion for what we're going to do; otherwise it's not worth
doing it. However, with The Lord Of The Rings, that passion was
slightly different. It was very different from any experience I
had ever had had. It was more grandiose, more epical. But the
character was also more dramatic, more profound. It appealed to
me on so many different levels. And Peter Jackson was directing
it. I'm a big fan of his work.
Can
you describe the emotion you felt when you learned that the part
was yours ?
EW
: Oh, my God ! I was completely out of my mind. I really wanted
to do this movie, more than anything else, and I felt that after
doing that tape I deserved it more than ever.
It's so rare to read a script and want so passionately to
do the movie. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had
to be a part of it.
When
it was confirmed, it was unbelievable, the emotions that went
through my head. It was a gift, I was totally excited. It was
like being invited to an adventure. The adventure of spending a
year and a half in New Zealand. It happened in a particular
period of my life. I was 18 years old and I had never spent that
much time away from home, alone. It came in a period very
important to me, in terms of growing, of life experience. I was
very excited about that too. And nervous. And scared. All those
things.
Can
you recall any particular moment, during the shooting ?
EW
: We flew on a helicopter to mountain tops to film, down rivers
in boats, walked through forests, camped out at night to shoot
in the next morning, some scenes that won't be seen until the
second movie, were shot during the night, for three or four
months, five to six nights a week. Four teams shooting
simultaneously. It was a complete madness. On one day, we
couldn't land on the mountain top we wanted and Peter Jackson
went to knock on this farm's door, asking if we could shoot
there instead.
What
do you think of the final product ?
EW
: I love the
movie. I think it's wonderful. Beautiful. Everyone involved
did such a wonderful job. When you see it, you can feel the
commitment that those people put in to the movie. It's a truly
unbelievable work.
What
do you think that will be the people's reaction ?
EW
: In terms of
my generation, or even younger people, it's a big adventures
story. It has an appeal similar to that of Indiana Jones or
Star Wars. But it also has a lot for those looking for something with
emotional, drama and intimacy. It has an immense emotional
appeal that takes hold of you immediately. It's also a great
get away. When you see the movie, you taken in to another world.
It starts and then ends too quickly. The lights come on and
people are caught by surprise. I worked in the movie and I was
caught by surprise. Both times I saw it, when it was over I
could hardly speak. It really has an effect over you. |
