Though years have passed since the cast – including Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler and Sir Ian McKellan – wrapped shooting on JRR Tolkien's three-part Lord Of The Rings saga, the stars can't help but bid an emotional adieu as the final instalment, The Return Of The King, takes the box office by storm.
Shot simultaneously over a year and a half in the mountains of New Zealand, the £190-million trilogy saw the on-screen "fellowship" continue off-screen as a true friendship amongst the cast, with some members even getting secret matching tattoos to mark the experience.
And with one Rings movie released every December for the past three years, the film has become a Christmas tradition for both the fans who line up to see the flick and the stars attending the round-the-world premieres. Elijah, who plays Frodo, says he expects "a certain feeling of sadness and separation anxiety" as the Lord era comes to an end. "We're going to have to arrange something for next year to bring us all back together."
The camaradarie of the ensemble cast did not go unnoticed by JRR Tolkein's 34-year-old great-grandson Royd, whose trip to the set resulted in a "spur-of-the-moment" chance to appear in the epic.
Royd, who snagged the impromptu role of a Gondorian ranger, said there were "no hierarchies" among the stars. "No one was bowing down to Elijah Wood, and none of the actors had extra-big caravans they ran into at the end of the day's filming," he says.
"It wasn’t just a movie, it was a life," relates Liv Tyler, who plays elf Arwen in the epic adventure. "To be in that world where nothing is like we know it was amazing."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
