{"id":83492,"date":"2013-11-29T16:27:27","date_gmt":"2013-11-29T21:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?p=83492"},"modified":"2013-11-30T11:34:13","modified_gmt":"2013-11-30T16:34:13","slug":"83492","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/2013\/11\/29\/83492-83492\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke Evans talks Bard the Bowman and Bard the family man in ‘Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Luke<\/a>
(Luke Evans as Bard The Bowman and John Bell as his son Bain.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

WELLINGTON, New Zealand \u2014\u00a0Ever wonder what you gave Luke Evans for his birthday? \u00a0Few realized it, but the staff and readers of TheOneRing.net gave him a present back in April of 2011.<\/p>\n

Evans celebrated his 32nd year with a party at Gas Works<\/a>, a bar and grill just walking distance from Stone Street Studios, the movie lot where Peter Jackson makes movies, including the forthcoming \u201cThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the mess tent of that set, on the white refrigerator that holds cream and milk and sundry items, near the always playing iPod, there hung a solicitation for all eyes to see: An open invitation from Luke Evans to celebrate his birthday on a Saturday night. \u00a0(Regrettably I didn\u2019t take a photo of the fridge.) The invitation was right there in perhaps the most trafficked spot on the lot, available for all, specified for none.<\/p>\n

Are on-set reporters invited to cast and crew events? \u00a0Advised by somebody from costume that it was absolutely okay (Jasmine I think, a real favorite), I decided to go only if could find a suitable gift from all of us, readers and staff of TORn. \u00a0What would you buy an actor on behalf of the largest online Tolkien community? \u00a0What does a guy making a living acting in New Zealand and away from home really want or need anyway?<\/p>\n

\"Luke<\/a>
Luke Evans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, one TheOneRing.net baseball cap and a mustache kit of course! \u00a0Evans was nice about it too, expressing gratitude. \u00a0So I can finally tell you all: Luke Evans says thanks for the lovely present.<\/p>\n

\"Stche\"<\/a>Important things learned that night at the birthday party:
\n1) The top brass behind the production and headlining stars like to celebrate birthday parties with Luke Evans. \u00a0They mostly all showed up.
\n2) Hard working film cast and crew really know how to have fun.
\n3) Certain cast members hanging out at a bar are larger than life, no matter how they try to blend in and act like every body else.
\n4) And for this story, most importantly: That Luke Evans guy can really sing.
\nFor me, the description of Evans that best encapsulates him, comes from his own Twitter account: \u201cWelsh lad having the time of his life.\u201d (@TheRealLukevans) \u00a0That was true that night at Gas Works for certain, but it personifies his work on set, and as best as I could tell, his career. \u00a0He is there to work, but he seemed to always enjoy it in a way not every actor can. \u00a0He is professional but he was much easier to approach (at strategically appropriate moments) than others on the set.<\/p>\n

But Pontypool, Wales, his birthplace, is a long, long way from living in Wellington, playing literary icon Bard. \u00a0So it was fitting that he invited his workplace friends to celebrate at a party during an era of his life that one suspects will always be remembered. \u00a0That night because he decided to celebrate, no matter what else is said, a smallish, local hangout had an absolute world class atmosphere with zero pretense and an absurd guest list. \u00a0Any club in Vegas, L.A. or New York would roll out every enticement to land that crowd. \u00a0But journalists weren\u2019t kept behind ropes. Extras, linguistic coaches, parents of actors, scale doubles, producers, gaffers and all the other rank-and-file persons on the movie were also welcome and esteemed. \u00a0It is a bit foggy now (time, not alcohol) but I believe some dwarf-actors picked up instruments and a crew member\u2019s band played many songs. \u00a0That night, to respect the privacy of hardworking people who were not at work, the reporter\u2019s notebook stayed home.<\/p>\n

In short, Luke\u2019s party was kinda cool.<\/p>\n

At the center of it all was Evans, playing host and singing occasionally and mixing with friends and crew and genuinely really having fun. \u00a0Hard 12-hour days seemed to make the celebrations extra festive. \u00a0Often on a set there is a lot to do or, when there isn\u2019t, talking is kept to a minimum so those who are working can focus or communicate. Not so here. \u00a0Talking was loud, greetings were boisterous and singing was joyful.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Evans\u2019 character isn\u2019t quite so cheerful and isn\u2019t likely to sing in taverns with merry company. \u00a0Compared to the party, book Bard the Bowman is a little bleak, largely due to his powerful, generational link with Smaug \u2014 the big creature who is the only character that gets his name in a Middle-earth movie title. \u00a0No Bilbo, no Frodo, no Sam (the true hero of LOTR) but Smaug manages.<\/p>\n

\"Bard<\/a>
Bard the Bowman as played by Luke Evans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fascinating then to hear the actor (not at the party) talk about Bard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is also a direct descendent of Girion, Lord of Dale, who happens to be the only other person in the history of The Hobbit that had a go with Smaug,\u201d he said. \u201cBut unfortunately he didn\u2019t kill him and so he (Smaug) ended up ruining Dale which was his descendant\u2019s land; this was like 200 years before.\u201d
\nThe story goes, in the 14th chapter of \u201cThe Hobbit,\u201d that Girion\u2019s wife escaped the dragon on the Running River and preserved the line that eventually included Bard. \u00a0He also had a sweet, sweet necklace that viewers can only hope makes it on screen. \u00a0(I have no knowledge about anything regarding a prolog, but this mini-story would make a sweet one!)<\/p>\n

But other than a glimpse into his ancestry, information about Bard is a little thin in the source material. \u00a0The character is a key figure but this is a case where the film version demands some genuine adaptation. \u00a0In the cinema we will feel cheated if Bard walks on the screen, does what he does, and walks off. \u00a0Film demands Bard \u2014 introduced in the text first only as a grim voice in a crowd \u2014 gets some fleshing out as a complete character. \u00a0Once a secret, word is now out thanks to video production diaries and Fan Event previews, that Bard has posterity in the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve developed Bard. We\u2019ve developed his character and his backstory and where he goes and who he deals with in the film. It\u2019s much, much larger than it is in the book and I think because he\u2019s human people will be able to relate to him very, very quickly and easily because he\u2019s going through things that we go through. He\u2019s a father, he\u2019s an only parent.\u201d<\/p>\n

From interactions with fans of Evans, its clear he already has a sympathetic (sometimes swooning) audience in the waiting. \u00a0If the wider public audience can easily latch on to the character along with his rugged, appealing masculinity, he may well prove to be one of the highlights of the next films. \u00a0A single father also tugs on heartstrings.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has three children and he\u2019s forced into becoming a leader and he doesn\u2019t really want to be a leader. I think he\u2019s happy just looking after his family and just\u2026he doesn\u2019t want a war. His emotions are very human and I guess that will make him quite appealing to an audience.\u201d
\nDon\u2019t look for anything about the absent wife though.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even mention her. I think she died during childbirth. In my head, I think that\u2019s what happened but you\u2019d have to ask Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n

While children on a screen can work on an audience emotionally, Evans knew the old movie adage when I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever work with animals or kids, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Right. \u00a0So how was it?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re awesome. \u00a0They\u2019re amazing kids. \u00a0I mean, two of them are young adults almost. \u00a0I can talk to them as adults and Peggy (Nesbitt) and John (Bell) are 14. (At the time of the interview.) \u00a0Then we have lovely Mary who\u2019s 8. She\u2019s very, very cute and obviously my (Bard\u2019s) wife, who\u2019s obviously very, very beautiful because my kids are stunning. \u00a0They didn\u2019t get that from me. \u00a0But they\u2019re fantastic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m going to miss them. \u00a0I think they leave next week which is quite scary. \u00a0The Bowmans are disbanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Peggy<\/a>
(Peggy Nesbitt, Mary Nesbitt and John Bell as the children of Bard The Bowman.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That \u201cnext week\u201d was extended a little so my last day observing the film, the younger trio filmed their last shots, appropriately all together. \u00a0Bell\u2019s parents Iain and Susan became fast friends and I felt privileged to know them well enough to be comfortable observing both those final shots of the actors and the parents watching those final shots. \u00a0There was a joy but a palpable melancholy too, the sweet sorrow of goodbye. \u00a0They were keenly aware of the significance of what they were watching. \u00a0It is one of my clearest specific memories from the whole of the shoot.<\/p>\n

Mary and Peggy are the daughters of actor James Nesbitt (Bofur), who not only brought his daughters to work in New Zealand, they found jobs too. \u00a0Laws of course keep on-set kids from working too long, even when they are willing or want to. \u00a0Even when they beg to. \u00a0They also are all required to continue with individual education.<\/p>\n

For these young actors, the shoot was a part of their life-maturing process and the on-set folks became a sort of family. \u00a0They not only bonded with the new family, they grew up on set. \u00a0Now, two years later and they are all much older and finally get to see their work, as if in a time machine, from 2011. \u00a0To my eye, there was genuine friendship and fondness and bonding. \u00a0Hopefully they also get a chance to walk red carpets and experience the Hollywood side of premieres. \u00a0The Nesbitt girls have clearly been around entertainment with their father and John has been in big movies such as \u201cWrath of the Titans,\u201d and \u201cBattleship,\u201d in an after-the-credits sequence that is, IMO, great!<\/p>\n

\u201cPeggy and Mary have never ever acted in their life,\u201d Evans said. \u00a0\u201cThis is their first acting job ever and they\u2019ve taken to it like a duck to water \u2014 like a duck to Lake-town. And they\u2019re very natural about the way they are with me and John\u2019s taken me as his father and we\u2019ve \u2014 well John\u2019s been here almost as long as I have and so we\u2019ve worked together on a constant basis over the last year. He\u2019s a great young man and he\u2019s going to have a great career and it\u2019s been a joy to work with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

It turns out working with kids and animals might not be as challenging as it is working with environments of greens.<\/p>\n

\"(Peter<\/a>
(Peter Jackson’s Lake-Town)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done plenty of green screen in other films but this one is complex because of the fact that most of the time I\u2019m doing scenes with characters that are not my height,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cThey\u2019re (the dwarves) a different race and so we have this very clever technology which is a camera that\u2019s a slave to another camera in another studio and, for example, if I\u2019m working against the dwarves, the actors playing the dwarves, they are in my house which is built a third bigger than it would be for me and then I work on a green screen version of my house and everything is green; the tables are green, the cups are green, the bowls are green, the chairs are green, the windows, everything is green and I work off just small markers on top of sticks. \u00a0I\u2019ve never done that before, so you really have to use your imagination. It is probably the biggest acting challenge to date.\u201d<\/p>\n

No actor is green with envy for sure. \u00a0This can be hard work because actors play off other performances. \u00a0They get energy and mood and timing from counterparts, but not in the situations Evans describes. \u00a0Inside one sound stage, the \u201cA\u201d stage during my time, two distinct Bard sets were used, both in place and identical except for scale, just as was done sometimes on the LOTR films. \u00a0Seeing this in person however suddenly makes the viewer aware that lighting must look identical, camera angles must match and it\u2019s all a lot more impressive than from your couch at home.<\/p>\n

For observers on monitors, both scenes overlapped on the monitors to make sure everything matched up. \u00a0Some items, weapons on a table for example, might overlap Bard\u2019s shoulder or characters sometimes walked through each other like ghosts, but it gave an excellent look at the shot, not much imagination required.
\nIn one complex sequence Bard drops a bundle on the table in the green set and the human-sized actors playing scaled down dwarves must pick up the objects and examine them closely. \u00a0It was a fascinating exercise to watch it all blend.<\/p>\n

In a production diary later, Jackson says they abandoned the whole slave camera set up and turned to post-production rotoscope (painting out part of a shot) to lift actors from one scale to another. \u00a0How much of Evans\u2019 shot-on-green performance will make the cut, if any? \u00a0It will be interesting to ask eventually because it sure was filmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to just remember what the rehearsal was like and just keep it. The last one I did I had to keep Richard Armitage\u2019s face in my head all day long.\u201d
\nThere are worse faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are much worse faces,\u201d he agreed.<\/p>\n

So why did Evans, this self described lad from Wales, want to spend such a giant chunk of time on the other side the globe on a long shoot?<\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/a>
Peter Jackson stands on the set of Lake-Town<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s quite a few draws. I think the obvious one is to work with Peter. I just think the guy is \u2014\u00a0he\u2019s a genius, but he also loves what he does. He\u2019s just a man who\u2019s very passionate about what he does and I am very passionate about what I do and it\u2019s just nice to be able to work with somebody who just loves what he does and we\u2019re working on something that feels, that feels right that he\u2019s directing it. \u00a0So that was a very big one, to work with Peter. \u00a0Very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was there any hesitation for Evans to take on the role?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, none at all. In fact I turned jobs down so I could do it.”<\/p>\n

He hasn\u2019t been lacking for work though. \u00a0Earlier this year he popped up in the Fast & Furious franchise as Shaw. \u00a0The movie went on to earn almost $790 million worldwide. Since wrapping Middle-earth he nabbed \u201cDracula Untold\u201d and the title role in the remake of \u201cThe Crow.\u201d \u00a0With two more Hobbit films to come, it gives him a pretty impressive profile at the box office through early 2016. \u00a0But despite the big shoots he is used to, he definitely felt the significance of the opportunity to be a character in Middle-earth.<\/p>\n

\u201c(It will be) part of something quite historical. \u00a0This is a piece of cinema history being made. \u00a0Lord of the Ring set a benchmark when it came to this sort of huge sweeping fantasy epic movies and Peter helmed it and did such a wonderful job. \u00a0You feel very excited about seeing the final cut of this film, you know, seeing how it will look, knowing that its Pete\u2019s world and that you created it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what a long wait before he can finally see it. \u00a0Even during shooting, he was aware that he would be tucked away until the second film and that wasn\u2019t a negative for him.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9<\/a>
A prop hangs on a post as set dressing on the Lake-Town set of “The Hobbit.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to wait sometimes, especially when the job is as great as this one. \u00a0I do so much, so many things, so many great stunts and such a lovely part that my character has in the second movie and it will be nice to wait and almost forget that I did it and then get to see it on the screen.\u201d
\nAll signs point to Evans having a good attitude because he didn\u2019t mind the waiting and he didn\u2019t mind the long shoot. \u00a0Maybe because New Zealand felt a lot like home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot like Wales. \u00a0I feel quite at home and I think what makes New Zealand \u2014 and I think if you ask anybody this \u2014 it\u2019s the people. \u00a0The people are incredible. \u00a0They\u2019re the happiest, the nicest bunch you\u2019ll ever meet. \u00a0They work well as a team. \u00a0There is no hierarchy. \u00a0Everybody works, does their job, likes what they do and they work very, very hard and they\u2019re just very happy. \u00a0They\u2019re happy folk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inviting the whole cast and crew to his birthday party then makes a lot of sense. \u00a0He also found time to enjoy himself away from work and birthday parties; He didn\u2019t let New Zealand go to waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing on such a big movie, you get a lot of down time and I\u2019ve utilized my down time and I\u2019ve gone traveling. I\u2019ve been up a glacier in a helicopter \u2013 don\u2019t tell the producers. I\u2019ve skydived \u2013 don\u2019t tell the producers. I\u2019ve thought about bungee jumping but I didn\u2019t want to do it \u2013 you can tell the producers that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve become a bit of a fisherman in my spare time and I\u2019ve been catching a fish which is called kahawai in Maori which is \u201cstrong in the water.\u201d \u00a0So I\u2019ve caught a few of them. Fed my whole neighborhood with kahawai. \u00a0So I\u2019ve had a great time. It\u2019s been amazing.\u201d \u00a0http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Arripis_trutta
\nHow fitting that the actor most associated with Lake-town, a set canvased with prop fish, fishes a unique Kiwi marine animal in his spare time and shares it with neighbors. \u00a0 I tried to explain that by doing so he will raise the profile of that fish in Middle-earth movie fan circles which led into a discussion of fans and those who will adopt Evans, or already have, because of his portrayal of the iconic Bard. \u00a0They will follow him for a career as they do with LOTR talent now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell everything you\u2019ve just said sounds very positive. I don\u2019t see why I wouldn\u2019t want any of those things to happen. You gain fans and you gain supporters and respect from people that like your work and follow you for the rest of your career, I mean, if people don\u2019t watch your movies or people don\u2019t like you, then you know, it\u2019s going to be a very difficult career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9<\/a>
The outdoor Lake-Town wet set with extras and crew assembled for a night shoot on “The Hobbit.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other career-positive factor Evans has going for him is how he treats people one-to-one. \u00a0One particular evening while out with some friends from the set (yes, I made friends and nobody was more surprised than me) on an epic karaoke night, we all sang too long and then, after practically being kicked out, we found ourselves on a street just as Evans and a friend were walking along it.<\/p>\n

Wellington seems to be that kind of city, where if you walk around a bit, you are bound to bump into somebody you know, especially if you hang around the film set for a while. \u00a0He knew some in the group far longer and much better than me, but he was friendly to all of us. \u00a0But, most charming of all, the regret he expressed for not having joined us for a sing was real. \u00a0(Although he is an actor and could have faked it!) \u00a0We all put on a brave face, but after his performance at the birthday party, there was probably some relief that he didn\u2019t come put us all to shame.<\/p>\n

He also remembered me by name on another top secret and very short set visit a whole year later. Take note world, the power of somebody remembering your name is remarkable. \u00a0And finally, the day I left the embed, a final day for many as it happens, time and space conspired and I had an opportunity to thank Evans, in his Bard gear, for his demeanor, the interview and for generally being so warm.<\/p>\n

Get ready fangirls and boys: Bard hugged me goodbye. \u00a0A small thing, but come on, do movie stars do that? \u00a0Not many.<\/p>\n

A final detail: Somebody wrote and asked me what Luke Evans, or Bard smells like. (No really!) \u00a0So here you are. He smells like the really pleasant, soft, hair product from the make-up team that touches him up between almost every take \u2014 and leather. \u00a0Like the actor, quite pleasant.<\/p>\n

\n

Larry D. Curtis is part of the Senior Staff at the all-volunteer TheOneRing.net where he serves as a writer, editor, photographer, consultant and helps with social media and live events. His TORn pen name is MrCere. He is a freelance writer and creative, always looking for new endeavors. He is a filmmaker, a student and a fan of fans.
\nEmail: MrCere@TheOneRing.net<\/a>
\nTwitter: @MrLDC<\/em><\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> Special thanks to @Saoirse_Lochlan from Twitter who helped transcribe for this report.<\/p>\n

Participate with TheOneRing.net on:
\nFacebook<\/a>
\nTwitter<\/a><\/p>\n


\nAlso from TheOneRing.net’s embed on the set of Hobbit filming:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evangeline Lilly gets personal with TORn about Tauriel and \u2018The Hobbit\u2019<\/a>
\nEvangeline Lilly explains the challenges of playing Tauriel in Peter Jackson\u2019s \u2018The Hobbit\u2019<\/a>
\nBringing Lake-town to Life for \u2018The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug\u2019<\/a>
\nSet visit exclusive \u2014 Extras: Living large in the background of \u2018The Hobbit\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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