How did you cope with such a long shoot?
It was the best time of my life, it was wicked. New Zealand is a fantastic country, and for 18 months it was home. Ans Legolas was a real challenge. I had to immerse myself in this world, but it's a great world to be immersed in. It was also kind of surreal to be sitting around the lunch table with all these orcs...
What about your archery training?
Oh, the first thing they did was stick a bow in my hand, but by the end, I was nailing plates out of the air. Legolas also uses these twin blades, and I had to learn elven fighting styles, which are a combination of ancient European and Asian styles. But even though I learned all these super-fast moves, I then had to slow them down for the camera, so you'd actually be able to see the blades.
Were those pointy ears uncomfortable?
I didn't even notice them, except for the two hours it took to put them on. In fact, there was one day when I had a break, so I kust went home with them still on. The quiver and my bow were a drag, because they were heavy, but the ears didn't bug me at all.
(Paul Semel, Total Film)
