From The Charleston City Paper, 12/17/2003 (c) 2003 Michael Marano
I’ve been waiting thirty years for this. Now that it’s here, I almost don’t know what to do or feel. But yeah, it’s been three decades since I first picked up Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Thirty years since I first tranced into those maps of Middle-earth, utterly convinced that Professor Tolkien had found a secret cache of manuscripts and was letting me in on some hidden history of the world; to my nine-year-old mind this made sense, ‘cuz he was, like… some kind of genius professor over in England, somewhere. Thirty years since Tolkien first changed my world-view so that, in my utterly mundane reality of growing up in Buffalo, NY, I couldn’t walk through the park and see a vine-covered statue or bit of masonry and not think of lost kingdoms. In my head, I imagined a Lord of the Rings adaptation with the dark flavor of a Hammer movie (even as a kid, I was a berserk fan of horror movies), and I thought how cool it would’ve been to have Peter Cushing as Gandalf and Chistopher Lee as Saruman. Well, after all this time, to have even one person from your ideal cast in the movie you dreamed about is pretty freakin’ tremendous. But wow… Return of the King is here.
It’s worth the thirty years’ wait.
Fellowship of the Ring choked me up for a number of reasons. A friend of mine who’s an internationally respected expert on fantasy fiction confessed to me that she cried during those opening shots of the Shire in Fellowship. I’m not ashamed to admit that I had a brick-sized lump in my throat. I was in awe of the love that director Peter Jackson and his co-screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens had for material that I love, too. I was moved in the way that I am when I see a musician perform a piece he or she loves. And Mike, ‘Mr. Hot-Shot-Professional-Movie-Critic’, melted right down to drooling Fan-Boy; I saw Fellowship many times in the theater. I liked The Two Towers, but a lot of the Fellowship magic wasn’t there for me. Towers was too stuffed with action to allow Jackson and Co.’s love of Tolkien to shine through; though that was fixed, I thought, in Jackson’s magnificent DVD Extended Edition of Towers.
Return of the King is dense with action and love for Tolkien. Jackson said that Return of the King’s climactic Battle of the Pelennor Fields would make The Two Towers’ Battle of Helm’s Deep seem like a skirmish. That worried me, because the endless Helm’s Deep scenes in the theatrical cut of The Two Towers drowned out the emotional impact of the film. Well, Return of the King’s Battle of the Pelennor Fields is thicker with emotion than it is swordplay. It’s exciting. It’s full of spectacle and awe. And it’s full of melancholy and sadness and hope and desperation. Just like Tolkien’s novel. There’s a sense of loss to the action, the feeling that, no matter what the outcome of this vast War, an Age is withering. That sense of loss eclipses any technical innovation Jackson brings to the movie. Hell, it IS the movie, in a lot of ways. The film begins with a loss that is terrifying and touching: an almost Biblical Fall. The conflict behind that Fall flavors the whole movie; it echoes through the narrative. King has moments of doom and terror, but the doom and terror on a grand scale are defined by the loss embodied in the smaller, quieter scenes.
Jackson and Walsh and Boyens aren’t slaves to the source material. There are changes to Tolkien’s plot, but they are changes that seem made to increase the tension of certain moments. I don’t think all of them work, but they are valid changes, and don’t seem arbitrary. Also, King has many endings, as any story of this length and complexity should; how many endings does David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago have, and that puppy is one-third the length of Jackson’s trilogy? Not all the endings work, and more than one of them are groaners. As has been widely reported, Jackson had to cut a number of plot points that he filmed (some major), and as a result, quite a bit of the movie feels abrupt and choppy. In certain scenes, characters bear wounds, both emotional and physical, the infliction of which is not depicted. Loose ends dangle.
But these are ultimately quibbles faults I’m sure Jackson will fix in his Extended DVD Edition. Fans who have not waited thirty years for this, but only the three years since those first trailers hit, will probably be as apoplectically overjoyed as was this berserk Tolkien dork for Return of the King.
Horror writer and novelist Michael Marano is such a pathetic Tolkien geek, he understood what the Orcs were chanting as they marched on the Pelennor Fields. www.mindspring.com/~profmike
The repairs after ‘Sharkey’s men’ go well with thousands of eager Hobbits working hard to clean up their homeland. The four Travellers contribute in different ways; Frodo act as Deputy Mayor, Merry and Pippin chase out the last ruffians, while Sam is busy all over the Four Farthings with the Gift of Galadriel. The following year 1420 is a marvellous year in the Shire. The harvest is bountiful, numerous children are born and there is something else in the air; a glimpse of a beauty beyond Middle-Earth.
For Frodo there is no lasting Peace on this side of the Western Ocean though. In the autumn of 1421 the Ringbearer sail from the Grey Havens with the bearers of the Three. Sam, Merry and Pippin watch the Old world leaving the new, taking their friend with it.
What does this chapter tell us about Hobbits? Why is Frodo not given the same fame as his companions? What does the gift of Galadriel have to do with the year 1420 turning out the way it does? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a look at the last chapter in The Lord Of The Rings – The Grey Havens.
Times: Saturday Chat: 5:30pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe AET = Australian East Coast
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net
…I regret to announce that this is the END. Tonight is our final night of Ticket Exchange offerings for the Trilogy Tuesday marathons. In the last 5+ weeks we have put nearly 90 tickets into the hands of fans at FACE VALUE. After tonight that number will be closer to 120. I would like to thank all of our ticket sellers, and everyone who has participated. LOTR fans are great people! For our final night of Ticket Exchange, we have 22+ offers on the table!!!!
BEFORE going ahead to the ticket exchange listings, PLEASE READ:
You are responding to offers for tickets to Trilogy Tuesday. These tickets are for PURCHASE. You are not winning tickets, but the opportunity to be put in contact with a seller holding tickets. The priced and individual special circumstances, if any, are noted on each offering.
DO NOT RESPOND to a ticket offering if you are not 100% certain that you can afford to purchase the tickets, pay for overnight shipping (which may cost upwards of $20), and obtain free time to attend the marathon.
There is NO more time for sellers to find new buyers, and they cannot run the risk that you will back out at the last moment — depriving them of making back their money, and depriving other fans the opportunity to “win” these tickets. Please do not let your enthusiasm win out over common sense.
You MUST include your e-mail address, real name, AND PHONE NUMBER in your response. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
* * *
Albany, NY: WE HAVE WINNERS! No more e-mails please! NOTE: I have ONE set of FOUR tickets, and ONE set of TWO tickets…. I will break these up on a first-come, first-served basis. If I receive first 2 e-mails asking for TWO, then only TWO tickets will remain. If I receive a request for TWO and FOUR, then no tickets will remain. Etc. You get the picture. This offering is for TWO tickets to the Regal Crossgates Mall 18 in Albany, NY. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $70 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Absolutely Want Albany Tickets.” Please state whether you need TWO or FOUR tickets
* * *
Chicago, IL: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! NOTE: Seller is willing to meet purchaser at theater to avoid snail mail snafus/anxiety and/or save postage fees. This offering is for ONE ticket to the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, IL. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $31 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Calling for Chicago Ticket.”
* * *
Columbia, SC: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for TWO tickets to the AMC Dutch Square 14 in Columbia, SC. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $50 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Crazy for Columbia Tickets.”
* * *
Concord, NC: NOTE: Seller is willing to meet purchaser at theater to avoid snail mail snafus/anxiety and/or save postage fees. This offering is for TWO tickets to the Concord Mills AMC 24 in Concord, NC. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25 each + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Concord Mills Ticket, Please.”
* * *
Edina, MN: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the MegaStar 16 Cinema in Edina, MN. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Excited about Edina Tickets.”
* * *
Franklin, TN NOTE: This seller is offering ELECTRONIC TICKETS. The buyer must be prepared and willing to meet the buyer at the theater on 12/16 to exchange cash/tickets. Please do not request these tickets if you are uncomfortable with this scenario. This offering is for TWO tickets to the Carmike Thoroughbred 20 in Franklin, TN. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $36 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Find me Franklin Tickets, Please.”
* * *
Jacksonville, FL: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Orange Park 24 in Jacksonville, FL. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Just Jacksonville Tickets.”
* * *
Madison, WI: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for TWO tickets to the Marcus Theatres Point 16 in Madison, WI. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $68 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Mad About Madison Tickets.”
* * *
Madison, WI: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for TWO tickets to the Marcus Theatres Point 16 in Madison, WI. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $71 including postage. The subject line MUST read: “Make Mine Madison Tickets (too).”
* * *
Manchester, CT: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! NOTE: Seller is willing to meet purchaser at theater to avoid snail mail snafus/anxiety and/or save postage fees. This offering is for TWO tickets to the National Amusements Showcase 16 Buckland in Manchester, CT. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $50. The subject line MUST read: “Manchester CT Tickets, Please.”
* * *
New Brunswick, NJ: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Loews Cineplex New Brunswick 18 in New Brunswick, NJ. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $35 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Need New Jersey Ticket.”
* * *
North Canton, OH: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for TWO tickets to the Cinemark Tinseltown in North Canton, OH. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $51.50 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “North by North Canton Tickets.”
* * *
Rochester, NY: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Tinseltown Theater in Rochester, NY. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25 + $18 overnight postage. The subject line MUST read: “Rochester Ticket Please.”
* * *
San Jose, CA: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Century Oakridge 20 in San Jose, CA. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $26 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Send Me San Jose Ticket.”
* * *
San Jose, CA: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Century Oakridge 20 in San Jose, CA. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $50.50 (which includes the special “Orc Feast” package) + postage. The subject line MUST read: “San Jose Orc Feast Please.”
* * *
Tucson, AZ: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! NOTE: Cash only. Seller wishes to meet buyer at theater to exchange tickets. Please do not request these tickets if you are uncomfortable with this scenario. This offering is for TWO tickets to the Park Place Century Park Theater in Tuscon, AZ. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $50. The subject line MUST read: “Tickled About Tuscon Tickets.”
* * *
Valley View (Cleveland), OH: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Valley View Cinemark Theater in Valley View (Cleveland), OH. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $25 + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Valley View (or is it Cleveland?) Ticket!”
* * *
Winston Salem, NC: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! This offering is for ONE ticket to the Carmike Wynnsong 12 in Winston Salem, NC. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $26+ postage. The subject line MUST read: “Wishing for Winston Salem Ticket.”
* * *
CANADA
Richmond, BC, Canada This offering is for TWO ticket to the Silvercity Riverport in Richmond, BC, Canada. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $100 (Canadian) + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Richmond BC Tickets.”
* * *
Mississauga, Ontario: WE HAVE A WINNER! No more e-mails please! NOTE: Large groups, I know of a seller with THIRTEEN tickets. E-mail me for details This offering is for TWO tickets to the Famous Players Coliseum in Mississauga, Ontario. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $49.95 (Canadian) + postage. The subject line MUST read: “Pair of Ontario Tickets.”
Yesterday we had a look at what 2004 had in store for us in the absence of The Lord of the Rings, and focused on five of the biggest movies coming soon involving LotR cast members. Today, we round off the list with another big five and take a look at some other movies which may prove to be suprise hits next year.
Hidalgo
USA: March 5th – UK: April 16th – Official Site – IMDb – Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Zuleikha Robinson, Louise Lombard
From the director of Jumanji and Jurassic Park III, Viggo Mortensen once again finds himself on horseback in this true story detailing the life of Frank T. Hopkins, a courier who in 1890 travelled from the US to Saudi Arabia on his horse Hidalgo and competed in the internationally reknowned, 3000 mile-long “Ocean of Fire” race across the African desert. Disney executives believe that after The Lord of the Rings‘s success, the name ‘Viggo Mortensen’ alone should be enough to recoup the film’s $80m budget and secure a rare success for the Mouse House after a recent barren patch: we think so too.
The Life Aquatic
Worldwide: November 2004 – BVEntertainment.com – IMDb – Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston
The next West Anderson Project, The Life Aquatic centers around Bill Murray’s oceanographer Steve Zissou and his documentary team on their quest to capture the camera-shy Jaguar shark on film. With The Royal Tenebaum‘s darkly comical take on the bizarre life of an insanely gifted family one of the cinematic highlights of 2001, the mind only boggles at what Anderson could do with a ship containing a group of oceanographers, a bank stooge, the illigetimate son of Bill Murray’s character and a heavily pregnant reporter played by Cate Blanchett.
You’d think after The Lord of the Rings the cast would be eager take a long break from swords, shields, large-scale battles and armed warfare in general. Try telling that to Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean, as the pair reunite to star in Wolfgang Petersen’s blockbuster historical epic portraying the events leading up to the Battle of Troy with Pitt starring as the great Greek general Achilles. Bloom stars as Prince of Troy who kidnaps the legendary Helen, wife of the King of Greece, and Bean as the warrior Odysseus who originated the Trojan Horse plot.
Van Helsing
Worldwide: May 2004 – Official Site – IMDb – Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham
While recent franchises such as Blade and Buffy have both added an interesting new twist to the monster mythology, it’s been a while since the movie-going public have seen baddies who are more bark and bite then one-liner and witty retort. Cue Van Helsing, Hugh Jackman’s next project on the back of X-Men 2 which sees him in the title role of the expert monster hunter who travels to 19th Century Eastern Europe to lead the fight against evil. David Wenham is the friar who guides Jackman’s character through the countryside, as this gritty monster movie looks set to do some serious damage at the box office.
Wimbledon
USA: September 24th – UK: August 27th – WorkingTitleFilms.com – IMDb – Paul Bettany, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Neill, Bernard Hill
Not to be out-done by her Spider-Man co-star’s recent role in feel-good movie of the year Seabiscuit, Kirsten Dunst stars as the bad-girl love interest to Paul Bettany, a washed-up tennis player who looks like the end is nigh for his professional career but gives it his all in his last ever chance to win the most coveted tournament in the world of tennis: Wimbledon. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn’t it?
Other Noteworthy Projects Of 2004
Haven – Orlando Bloom is the British native who commits a crime set in motion by two businessmen (Gabriel Byrne and Bill Paxton) who flee the US for the Cayman Islands.
Jersey Girl – The last time Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez teamed up, the result was..well..horriffic frankly. Hopefully for Liv Tyler the result this time around isn’t more of the same.
National Treasure – Sean Bean goes head to head with Nicholas Cage in search of a war chest hidden by Washington, Jefferson and Franklin during the Revolutionary War.
Slipstream – A scientist plots a bank heist with his newest invention – a time travelling device. Sean Astin headlines along with footballer cum actor Vinnie Jones.
The Day After Tomorrow – Sir Ian Holm features in the latest apocalypse film, as Dennis Quaid tries to figure out a way to save the world from global warming. Jake Gyllenhall also stars.
The Great Raid – A group of US Army Rangers including Marton Csokas attempt a daring rescue mission to evacuate 500 POWs from a Japanese camp during World War II.
The Last Unicorn – The story of the last unicorn in existence who travels across the land to find the rest of her kind. With Christopher Lee adding gravitas as King Haggard.
The film is not great art. It’s a Herculean assault course that runs the emotions ragged for an exhausting 3hrs 21mins. That said, it would be churlish not to gift the film the full five stars.
‘The Guardian’ also has their review posted online. Their reviewer had more ambiguous feelings about the conclusion, confessing both admiration and relief.
Because on the one hand, The Lord of the Rings is undeniably a landmark in cinema history, a creation of demented, kamikaze passion that all logic suggested should never work and yet somehow did. And on the other, I can’t say I’m sad to see the back of it. There are only so many elves a man can ogle in his lifetime, only so many bravura battle scenes one can sit through, and a finite amount of cod portentous dialogue one can endure without wanting to plug your ears with cement….
…In fact, for about four fifths of its run, I had The Return of the King confidently filed as a masterpiece – a big, stirring orchestral epic of a movie, full of blood and heroism and sacrifice and soul. The trouble is that it is also hellishly long, frequently preposterous and as humourless as a cat. By the end I couldn’t help feeling that it had overstayed its welcome by a whisker. Loitering for a half-baked epilogue, it bows out with a whimper, not a bang.
‘The Guardian’ also has a more general cultural piece on an issue that’s long interested me: how ‘nerds’ have come to dominate the imagination of pop culture.
After earning top accolades and awards for prolific Australian film and stage work (including Love Serenade, The Well and Doing Time With Patsy Cline), chameleon-like NIDA graduate Miranda Otto, will next have a pivotal role in The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King as the feisty princess Eowyn who refuses to stay home while the boys go off to fight in the ferocious battles between good and evil. The daughter of Australian acting icon Barry Otto, has also made impressions in overseas films such as What Lies Beneath with Harrison Ford; Terence Malick’s The Thin Red Line; and The Last Days Of Chez Nous. Don’t be surprised if the porcelain-skinned Miranda becomes the next Australian actor recognized internationally, a la Nicole Kidman or Toni Collette.
Here Otto tells Attitude about the appeal and challenges of her role as Eowyn/Dernhelm, in two films of this multi-million dollar making film trilogy of The Lord Of The Rings as well as the mammoth amounts of work she manages to fit in between filming.
Dernhelm in The Return Of The King
So glamorous and wonderful
“In some ways my character seems glamorous, but she’s also gritty as well. The costumes are made of wool and heavy fabrics so it’s not just like the ephemeral, floaty elf look of Liv Tyler’s Arwen because my character is human. Ngila Dickson is a wonderful costume designer. When I got there, I didn’t know how they were going to turn me into this iconic character from the book. There were a lot of questions, like: how would she look, and how what that work. It was really due to her work and the detail she put into the clothes that really formed the character for me. I work a lot from the costume and it’s very important to me that the costume is right. And that I feel right within it.
“Some people would say it was glamorous I suppose, what with the flowing wig and the costumes; but in other ways she had, for instance, flat shoes and flat leather boots that were made for me, and that made it feel like a strong costume. That’s my idea of glamour! I prefer that to all the [maciage – sounds like mach-ee-aje] and bouffant hair [laughs].”
Your costumes change quite dramatically between The Two Towers and The Return Of The King.
“Oh yes! I fight in The Return Of The King, so the costumes get much heavier. I’m wearing a special chain-mail they developed, which was a little bit lighter than regular chain-mail but still quite heavy. We all had armour made for us and swords and helmets. So, yeah it’s very different! The Two Towers was the Œdress-wearing’ film and The Return Of The King is the pants wearing’ film. That’s how I differentiated between the two from day to day. If I was in pants, it must have been The Return Of The King!
“It’s great. They hand-made all of those things for us. It was kind of like a rite of passage really, when they handed them to you it was like an enormous gift they were giving you of this armour they had worked on for so long especially for each actor.
Can we talk about your preparation and training even your sword work as it will play such a big part of this film.
“Well, I originally found out about the sword-fighting from Liv. In the original script that I read, there wasn’t as much. And then the script started to change to go much more back towards the original book, for both my character and Liv’s. It was Liv who warned me saying, you’re going to have to be able to sword-fight and all these other things.’ So then I went out and sought out the swordmaster and started to get some training.
“Then when I came back to do the shooting in August of 2002, I had three weeks to work with them for three hours a day. Then I would just individually do it for each move as we choreographed for the fights. They’d work on each section of each fight and we’d work on them from there.
Many were waiting for you to break out the sword in The Two Towers.
“I know! It’s kind of a big lead-on isn’t it? I heard that from a few people, that they were disappointed it didn’t happens but just you wait. Originally there was a little bit of sword-fighting in The Two Towers [Miranda shot a scene where Eowyn defends the women and children hiding in the Glittering Caves from some marauding orcs who’ve broken through the defenses at the Battle Of Helm’s Deep. It was deleted], but that wasn’t taken from the books. In the books, she really does have to wait until The Return Of The King and the Battle Of Pelennor Fields to get to do it.”
They’ve picked a big enough opponent for you! Your main battle is with a character portrayed by massive Maori actor Lawrence Makoare isn’t it?
“Lawrence was there. He is a big boy isn’t he [laughs]. But there were a few different guys on different days playing the same character. When we were shooting, it got just so frantic that sometimes you wouldn’t have the actor who normally played the role available.”
How much time did you spend in production on The Lord Of The Rings?
“I was in New Zealand for about five or six months. I managed to fit in six things after shooting principle photography on The Lord Of The Rings. First of all I went to London and did a BBC production of Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now with David Suchet, which has already been on television in Australia. Then I did an English film called Doctor Sleep alongside actor Goran Visnjic, and then went to Poland to do a film with Agnieszka Holland called Julie Walking Home. At the same time I was doing that, I was also doing a film in Italy and in Italian. Then I came back to Australia and did a play, The Dollshouse, at The Wharf. Then I did Danny Deckchair. I did all that after The Lord Of The Rings then decided to have a break. We all need a breather sometime! I wanted to have a rethink to decide on what I was going to do next and how I was going to approach the next couple of years.
“I think I’ll go back to the states in January 2003 and look at what’s around there. I haven’t done anything in the States for a while as The Lord Of The Rings was filmed in New Zealand as you all probably know. The last thing in did in the States was Human Nature which was also with Danny Deckchair’s Rhys fans.
“It will really depend. I’m also very interested in what they’re doing in England and stage work. It will depend on what the best thing that comes up is.
“I’ll do some pick ups in May and June of 2003 for The Return Of The King; just some bits and pieces. At this stage I couldn’t tell you what work there will be for me on the films. I believe for The Return Of The King, there’s just two shots at present that they need. But anything can happen between now and then.
“They’ve already told me to keep some time aside for them in May/June, but then they’ll work around me. For instance, if I’m only available in the first week of May, they’ll use me then. The time taken on the pick ups themselves could be a long time, but the period they might work with me might be only two to three days which may only result in two or three shots. For other people, it might mean two or three weeks of solid work. It just depends on what they need. At the most, I think they might require me for a couple of weeks.
“When you see the DVDs for both The Two Towers and The Return Of The King, you might see some of the pieces we’ve been shooting. For instance, with The Two Towers, there were some things we experimented with that were showing, in some ways, a lighter side of Eowyn’s character that unfortunately haven’t ended up in the theatrical release of the movie. I’m quite happy they didn’t actually, because I prefer the aloof, strong and cold Eowyn; even though in some ways, some people might think that’s less accessible for the audience. I really admire that part of her.
“There are some things that are very Eowyn that we shot that didn’t end up in The Two Towers for different reasons, ie: there just wasn’t enough time. They might turn up on the extended DVD edition.”
As one of the few females on the set of The Lord Of The Rings, did it feel as though you’d joined a boys’ club?
“In some ways it was a boys’ club because there’s horse-riding and sword-fighting it was a masculine environment. But they were very friendly and open. There are also a lot of women working on the production; from the top such as [screenwriters] Fran Walsh [also wife of director Peter Jackson] and Phillipa Boyens who I’m quite close with; as well as so many people on the crew. Our main Assistant Director is also a woman. It was good to have them around.
“I guess, working on a film like this is an adventure. It’s an adventure story and actually being in it is another adventure. It’s not just a film for men it’s for the women as well. It’s just as much fun for a girl to get out there and do all those things. But it isn’t about sitting around, painting your nails although I enjoy getting together with the girls to do Œgirlie’ things, I also like getting in the dirt.”
Was it a tough environment to work in?
“I think the hardest part was for other people. For instance, the shooting on the Battle Of Helm’s Deep took four months; at night, in the rain and fighting with swords for five to six days a week. That pushed a lot of people really close to the edge, being so physically demanding, in the cold and wet in the middle of the New Zealand winter. Very hard.
“Some sets were easier than others. Sometimes, when we were working in the studio, it was really easy. Then other times, like when we were on the outdoor set of Edoras [the Rohirrim palace where we first meet Eowyn], the wind was very strong. I also ran into some other problems along the way, being flooded and snowed out. There were environmental factors but it some ways it made it more fun. It got particularly frantic in the last three weeks of shooting but, at other times, it was much easier.”
If what we see onscreen is any indication, your chemistry with Viggo Mortensen [the handsome actor who plays Aragorn, the returning king of the title] was very good. Is that the way it felt for you?
“Viggo’s a really terrific person to work with. He knew so much about the story and knew his character so well. My character was more Œevolving’, in terms of what sides we would show of her at what times. For instance, when you try to work out at which point onscreen you’ll show when someone becomes fascinated with another character [as Eowyn does in star-crossed fashion with Aragorn]. The scene that gets that across the most is the one where she’s practicing with her sword and he interrupts. We didn’t shoot that and it wasn’t even written until the second to last week of the shoot.
“So it was a constantly developing thing in terms of what the actual chemistry would be. Originally when we approached it, we had more things where I was not idolizing him but me looking at him and being in a sort of awe. Then we realized we needed to make her stronger and more distance, and be able to hold her own ground. That was important.”
For such a huge production, much seems to have been in constant flux.
“If you saw some of the scenes that were in the original script, you would just die because they’re so different to what we ended up shooting. But they told me that from the moment I got the part. They said, forget about the script for your character because we’re really changing it.’ For other people it stayed much the same but mine had gone a fair way from the book in the original draft that had been done.
“Basically, Liv’s character was more action-based and that meant that mine wasn’t as much. Then her character became a lot more like more like the Arwen of the book’s appendices much more of a strong feminine presence and less of a warrior princess. I suppose they had thought, at one stage that was the way they’d have to go to integrate her. So we both changed to become closer to the way our characters were in the book.”
Did you have fun working with Brad Dourif (the slimy agent of evil who has an unsavory interest in Eowyn)?
“Brad’s terrific! I loved working with him. He puts so much energy into it and as someone else said, he pushes himself even harder when the camera is on you instead him. He’s that giving. I just really enjoyed doing our scene together because I was really interested in the energy between those two characters. Even though he’s an evil character, you kind of feel sorry for him because he is in love with her and she’s not in love with him.
“I was also interested in the fact that no one listens to Eowyn at that point or understands her. Her brother has vanished and she’s really alone. Someone like Grima can get to you under those circumstances and lure you in. The minute you start to listen, it’s like when you’ve broken up with someone and you go to some other guy who’s a friend for advice, and then in the middle of consoling you, they try to make a move. It’s that kind of thing of opening yourself up because you’re alone. I can’t say that exact scenario has happened to me before but it’s very easy to put yourself in those shoes.
“It’s important to see that Grima Wormtongue has a power through [the evil wizard] Saruman, which has wielded over King Theoden. In some ways, you have to endow him with that.
“Brad’s a fantastic character actor. He’s done terrific work before. But people don’t often realize how humble and a sweet person he is and he’s very happy to do that kind of work. He has this fantastic trick of being able to make his eyes run and snot constantly drip from his nose [laughs]!”
Now the chemistry between yourself and David Wenham’s character, Faramir, comes into play in The Return Of The King. How was that?
“That’s a big section of the book, but when we get to that part of the film, there are so many other things going on, I don’t know how big a part of the film that say, the Houses Of Healing where they meet, will have. There are so many more cataclysmic things going on at the same time, that it probably won’t be as long of a section as it is in the book.”
Were you able to draw on your friendship with David for the scenes you have together?
“That’s a funny thing, because David and I haven’t worked together since we did a radio play ages ago and that was a really small thing. I’ve known David for a very long time but this was the first time we’d really been able to work together since then.
“It was great. It’s always nice to work with someone you know, someone who’s an Australian.”
In a few words, how would you sum up your experience working on The Lord Of The Rings?
“It’s hard. It was incredibly exciting from the moment I arrived and saw what they were doing. I couldn’t get out of my head that it was like working on The Wizard Of Oz or something one of those films that would stay and stay. It has that same element of the fantastical to it. I could hardly sleep when I was there because I felt I would be a part of something that I felt would last; that was so big and yet, somehow, so intimate. Then when I was there, I just wanted to stay and soak up the experience. It was really incredible.
“I saw The Two Towers for the first time on November 31, 2002. It was just before we started the press junket in New York.”
How does t feel having a doll made of your character?
“That was definitely surreal [laughs]! You can’t help but think of all the horrible things you did to your dolls when you were younger. I keep thinking I’ll be walking along the street and see one with its nose chewed off and arm amputated.
“I’m wary of people asking me to sign these things for them. I’ve already had people hanging outside my hotel room in New York asking me to sign things. I thought they were fans, but it turned out they were just putting them on the internet and selling them and making ridiculous amounts of money from the fans. I won’t fall for that again!”
The casting seems to have been very exacting. Did you get any sense from Peter Jackson why he chose you and why you were identified with the Eowyn character?
“I don’t really know what he saw in me. I think one of the first things you needed to have for the role was a sense of being able to play in something that was Œperiod’. Not playing a model person but a person that could be from another era. She also had to have both a masculine and feminine side to her so she could look like a graceful and elegant woman but also be a fiery and strong person underneath that with physical abilities. I hope he found those things in me!
“It’s hard for me to tell. I’ve been with a few audiences to watch his, but I don’t know what the audience and fans of the book have thought about the character and whether they feel she’s been Œrealised’. Now the film’s out, maybe I’ll learn more.
“Peter Jackson gave me a lot of room to move and knew what he wanted. He doesn’t say huge amounts to you. I can think of one scene in particular that’s not in there and him saying one thing to me about not thinking about being sad so much as being nervous. Things like that made for a very clear and specific direction.”
