Returning to the set of The Lord of the Rings, an experience that most actors describe as incredible, but which proved very difficult for one of the main actors: John Rhys-Davies, the interpreter of the dwarf Gimli.
When we hear them recount their filming memories, even after more than 20 years, the actors who were cast as Frodo, Gandalf, Legolas or Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings seem to never run out of praise for the adventure they had together. . And Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood or Orlando Bloom are often starry-eyed about their time in Middle-earth.
However, even if a real community emerged among the actors during the 15 months of production of the trilogy, one of the main actors of the feature films does not have as happy a memory as others of this extraordinary experience.
Indeed, as we learn by listening to the audio commentary Ბekhdi brotherhoodJohn Rhys-Davies, who lends his features to the dwarf Gimli, had a real ordeal on set, due to the many awkward prosthetics he had to constantly wear on his face.
“Poor John! One day of make-up took him four days to recover”recalls Elijah Wood, Frodo’s interpreter.
“The prostheses, the glue, the plastic and the rest ate the skin. It must have been horrible”Sean Astin, who plays Sam Gameg, agrees.
As for the main stakeholder, he himself admits that he suffered a particularly unpleasant blow, far from the good atmosphere that can reign in the team:
“It made me so isolated and paranoid, so lonely”John Rhys-Davies says. “I didn’t want to go out or have dinner with other people. I wanted to be alone, ashamed of my face. And for me, the most fun part of acting is being with other people.”
A bit further into the film’s audio commentary, Gimli’s interpreter continues the fun life of the other cast members, which he unfortunately didn’t share:
“The kids in the band got along great. They went out together. They were good, they played with each other. They had a great time. It really helped create this great friendship. It was fun to see Sean. and Vigo . They often went out to dinner together. They are the same age and have the same interests. There was only one that didn’t match. This very paranoid dwarf had no skin around his eyes. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable than during this production.”
Even if he’s been alone most of the time, John Rhys-Davies has taken advantage of his long stay in New Zealand to pick up a new hobby: canoeing. Thus, at the end of filming, the actor acquired no less than 5 boats.
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Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
