Had you read the books before you got the part?
I graduated from UCLA with a degree in History and American Literature and Culture, with honours, and I'd never even heard of the book. And thank God. I wasn't ready for Tolkien yet...
Were you worried about the length of time involved in making the films?
When I was offered the part, I was close to putting together a film I wanted to direct and produce. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and there was no choice. But it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Absolutely. There were moments when I truly didn't think I would survive.
In what way, physically or emotionally?
Physically it was very hard, yes. I had to put on 30lbs for the part-I had to do that because Peter Jackson said if I didn't he was going to go with another guy, and just the wight felt on my body was horrible, it was uncomfortable. I'd charted out the days on my make-up mirror. I mean, I knew it was a lifetime opportunity, but I also needed to know how long I was going to be experiencing this. It was just so hard.
(Martyn Palmer, Total Film)
