In late July 1954, JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novel debuted on the publishing market, becoming the beginning of one of the most popular trilogies of this genre. Less than five decades later, Peter Jackson began to adapt it for the big screen, which was met with great delight from both viewers and critics. All three adaptations received as many as 30 nominations for , and won as many as 17 statuettes from the American Film Academy.
‘Lord of the Rings’ Director Reveals Casting: Why Elijah Wood Played Frodo
The success was influenced not only by the script based on the books and spectacular special effects, but also by the star cast. The actor playing Frodo, Elijah Wood, made a special impression. However, his path to winning the leading role in the film adaptation was not typical. The director of “The Lord of the Rings” revealed in an interview with Charlie Rose that the casting stage was long and really arduous. He wanted the players playing the hobbits to come from Great Britain, so to make it easier, the auditions were held in London. Some, including Christopher Lee, who played Saruman, were fans of the series and immediately found their place in the roles assigned to them, but finding the actor to play the main character turned out to be a problem. “Out of over 300 people we auditioned, there were maybe two or three who were okay. But Frodo couldn’t be okay, he had to be magical,” Jackson explained.
Then, unexpectedly, he received a recording from casting director John Hubbard of one of the candidates for the role. He was skeptical, especially when it turned out that it had been sent by Elijah Wood, an American. However, he decided to watch what he had prepared. He did not hide the fact that he was very impressed from the very first seconds. “He hired a teacher to learn the pronunciation, then he rented a hobbit costume and, dressed like that, he climbed a tree, where with the help of a friend he recorded a self-tape, saying the lines from the book, because he did not have our script,” the director said. “We were all delighted with him, he was absolutely wonderful,” he added.
He played a hobbit in “The Lord of the Rings”. This is what Elijah Wood’s application to the casting looked like
Elijah Wood has never hidden the fact that the role of Frodo changed both his life and his career, making him a Hollywood star. He confessed that as soon as he heard about the casting for the leading role, he was determined to get it. Even the fact that they were looking for an actor from England did not discourage him. He wanted to prove his skills. “I thought I would do something absolutely crazy to show my passion for this project,” he recalled, adding that “it worked.”
In an interview with GQ magazine, he spoke in detail about the process of preparing the famous tape, and it was really complex. After learning to speak with a British accent with a professional teacher, he began to think about where and how to create a video. He knew that he did not want a typical recording on a white wall, so he came up with an original idea. He asked filmmaker George Huang, his close friend, for help, with whom he went to the forest in Griffith Park, dressed as a hobbit, and it was there that he created the video. “I just went to the forest and shot this scene,” he said. After sending the application, he quickly received an invitation to meet the director, with whom he immediately found a common ground, which guaranteed him a permanent place in the cast. If you’d like, please vote in our poll below.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
