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Who would've thought such a little guy would be at the heart of such a big movie! In the new film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the legendary battle between good and evil centers around a character named Frodo. Played by Elijah Wood, he is a pint-sized, hairy-footed creature known as a Hobbit. Find out how Wood brought Frodo's mythical adventures to life and stepped into legend on the big screen.
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Making The Lord of the Rings opened up an amazing new world for actor Elijah Wood, shown here in a scene from the film.
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TFK: What is Frodo like?
Elijah: Frodo is a very curious adventurer. He lives in a time when most of
his fellow Hobbits want to stay with their own kind, but Frodo is very
different in that he wants to leave and see the rest of the world and
all its wonders.
TFK: Was it hard playing a 3' 6"-tall furry-footed creature?
Elijah: Once I had my [costume] ears and feet put on me for the first time, I felt like a Hobbit. It all just came alive for me. It sounds bizarre,
but I felt like I was playing a historical character, as if Hobbits
actually lived once.
TFK: Do you have much in common with your character?
Elijah: Yeah. Hobbits are very jolly, fun-loving creatures. They love the
simple things in life: eating, drinking, being with friends and family
and storytelling. I really relate to their way of living. After making
this movie, I think I've become even more Hobbity.
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Gandalf (left, played by Ian McKellen) guides Frodo (Elijah Wood) through the dangerous caverns of Middle-earth.
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TFK: What was it like doing scenes with characters like Gandalf the
wizard, who is so much bigger than a Hobbit?
Elijah: Well the director tried to make it as easy as possible. For a lot of
the scenes it would be as basic as me kneeling on a box while talking to
Gandalf. And then of course they did a lot of camera tricks to
exaggerate the difference.
TFK: Your movie is based on the fantasy/adventure book series by author J.R.R. Tolkien. How true did you stay to the books?
Elijah: The books were like our bible on the set. We were always rereading it and discovering details about certain scenes or characters.
TFK: We heard that you wanted to do this movie so badly that you made
your own audition tape and sent it to the director.
Elijah: Yes, that's right, I rented a Hobbit costume and took a friend's video
camera and did a few scenes out in the woods by my house. I had wanted
this role ever since I heard they were going to make the movie. I've
been a big fan of the books.
TFK: The movie was filmed in New Zealand, which is supposed to represent
Tolkien's Middle-earth, the world as it appeared 7,000 years ago. Did it seem real for you?
Elijah: Oh, yes! New Zealand really is Middle-earth, or as close as you can
get to it. It has every geological formation and landscape you can
imagine...and some you can't. We weren't in a studio, but out in the
wild, in the forests, the mountains, the water. It was very physically
tiring, but it makes the movie that much more real.
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