The Swedish Hobbit Blogger writes: Recently I noticed that the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet had conducted a long interview with Mikael Persbrandt, who will be portraying Beorn in The Hobbit, and, in this interview, they asked him about his current career in big budget productions like the upcoming The Hobbit-films and a film based on the fictional spy-character of Carl Hamilton. And this is what he said about The Hobbit and New Zealand, translated to the best of my ability of course.
”When I, during the first day, is hoisted up to the ceiling in the west King Kong Studio in Wellington I know what to do, even if it is a bit awkward and difficult to begin with a difficult torture scene. I knew and could even suggest things.”
I guess that this could possibly be a hint that Peter Jackson might intend to include the part, where Beorn sort of interrogate a wolf and goblin in order to verify the story told to him by Gandalf, in the film. Anyway back to the rest of the interview…
Later in the interview Persbrandt says that he prepared for the role of Beorn by just not to thinking of it as that complicated. “How am I as a shapeshifter, who lives with horses and animals in the forest? You have to look into yourself and try. I act in the Hobbit about the same I would in a love drama.” He says.
Persbrandt also says that he, during his stay in New Zeeland, bought a mountain bike and often biked in the mountains.
Other things he says include that he wasn’t feeling insecure when filming The Hobbit because, with experience, his confidence as an actor has improved and also that he is trying to improve on his skills in English since he, because most of his roles has been in Sweden and before he didn’t get so many international offers, haven’t really taken any advanced classes in the language. This has, according to him, caused some resistance, but that he tries to be a good student and improve.
Here is a link to the interview in question: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/film/article13557018.ab
