Another BIG thank you to Cyloran for sending this in!
Elijah Wood on Good Morning America
12/17/03
GMA: It is the cinematic finale that everybody’s talking about, the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the last installment in the epic trilogy that opens today. Actually, it already has opened in some places. Being talked about as a leading contender for the Best Picture Oscar time, with us this morning is the man, or I should say, the hobbit at the center of it all, Frodo himself is here, Elijah Wood. It is a pleasure to have you here.
EW: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.
GMA: This has been quite an adventure! Not only on the screen but what you’ve gone through all this time.
EW: The last four years of our lives have been a complete journey making these movies. It’s wild to see it come to an end.
GMA: Alright, it’s all over. The thing’s done. Who got to keep the Ring?
EW: I did, actually.
GMA: You did?
EW: I have the Ring at home. I have it in a small little box that I’ve got sort of tucked away.
GMA: How many Rings were there?
EW: There were quite a lot. There wasn’t just the single one. Andy Serkis got the Ring as well because he plays Gollum, so the two Ringbearers most appropriately were given the Ring.
GMA: Does it fit?
EW: It does. It does fit. But I don’t put it on. It would be a bad omen.
GMA: I was about to say, that would be a little strange. Are you sad it’s over?
EW: I am. I mean, it’s been such an incredible journey getting to know these people, living in New Zealand, making these films. It’s a bit surreal. I don’t think we all anticipated it coming to an end. It sort of felt like it would just carry on for the rest of our lives.
GMA: I was curious how you end something like this, because you are so close for so long, and I asked Liv Tyler how it all ended yesterday and she said, we had to come back for pickups in June.
EW: That’s right.
GMA: She said that was the last time we all saw each other.
EW: Yes.
GMA: But I understand there was really a very touching way that it all ended after each of you did your last scene.
EW: Yeah. They gave each actor a farewell, a little party, where they showed about two minutes of footage of that particular actor with bloopers and sort of funny music, Peter Jackson gave a speech to everyone about that particular actor, our producer Barry gave a speech, and then we were called on to give a speech, which was very difficult. I mean, it was very difficult to imagine that it had come to an end, so it was incredibly emotional and we were also each given our sword. I was given Sting, which was wonderful, and the last clappers from the last take of the last shot, so it was very emotional, and a very appropriate way to say goodbye to the actors, and very gracious of them.
GMA: A very nice thing for a director to do, tho.
EW: Indeed.
GMA: A very nice way to make it, and that really does, and it becomes sort of family, anyway.
EW: Oh, yeah!
GMA: Now! Was it really the last time? This is so successful . . . now, Tolkien only wrote a trilogy, but could there be a . . . I mean, the world has been saved and Middle Earth is okay and all that, but –
EW: That’s right.
GMA: Could you put it together again?
EW: My God, I would love it. I know that they’re thinking of doing The Hobbit. Frodo doesn’t exist in The Hobbit, so that possibly might happen. But Frodo has gone to the Undying Lands, so Frodo is sort of dead, essentially, at the end of this film.
GMA: It’s so hard to pick a clip because there’s really no moment sort of representative, but let’s take a look. Here’s a moment where Frodo has to make a very difficult decision.
(Show Frodo, Sam, Gollum clip)
GMA: True that a group of you got a tattoo as a commemoration of all of this?
EW: Yes, very true.
GMA: Including Ian McKellan?
EW: That’s right.
GMA: All in the same place?
EW: All in the same place.
GMA: I’m not going to make you show the tattoo, which I know you wouldn’t do anyway.
EW: Thank you very much for respecting that.
GMA: Want to tell me where it is?
EW: I have mine on my waist.
GMA: We can each pick a different body part, can we?
EW: We all kind of, well, that was sort of nice. We all sort of picked different spots which I think made the same tattoo individual to each individual, so that was nice.
GMA: Well it is wonderful. Congratulations. A long four years but well worth the effort, I’m sure. Thanks every so much.
EW: Well, thank you.
GMA: Frodo. The movie opens today.
