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DISCLAIMER: This transcript is provided on an "as is" best efforts basis and is based on a MiniDisc recording made where speech was not always legible because of noise in the room. Any errors made in transcribing what was actually said are mine, and not those of the speakers quoted, and may include spelling mistakes, incorrect names and other minor typo's. Readers should also bear in mind that statements read in cold print can often convey a completely different meaning from that intended by the speaker and perceived by the original audience.
		BERNARD HILL - RECIPIENT OF THE 'BEST FILM SCENE' AWARD FOR 'RIDE OF THE ROHIRRIM Question: 'Return of the King' has done very well with awards. Will it achieve oscar glory? Bernard Hill: I don't know how the awards work really. I suppose if they're democratic then they're judged one film at a time. I suppose if organisations look at them as three films I think Pete Jackson, his achievements and the cast and crew of 'Lord of the Rings', is irresistable really. Question: Who's going to keep the award? Are you going to give it to Peter or...? Bernard Hill: This one? No! No! This is mine! I'm sorry but I'm really proud of this. I'll tell you for why.... I said it out there and I'll say it again for you guys in here who didn't hear it.... The work process was such that we all went for script discussions with Phillipa Boyens and Fran Walsh, who are the writers. During one of those discussions I had an image... When I first went down to the Weta Workshop I saw the Rohirrim spears on racks down one of the aisles and I just had this vision like a kid going down railings with a stick, with a sword. I had an idea that Pelennor Fields obviously was going to be the big battle in film three, and that we'd all be laid out in a line, and the idea that the King would go down and enthuse his troops with their spears, where he'd be touching his sword on their spears, would create a kind of 'Let's all go to our deaths together'. Such was the work process I suggested it and it went in and I was persistent enough. Then I upgraded myself as a rider, of which I'm also very proud. This [award] is a refelection of a combination of both of these events which I'm very proud of. No-one gets this away from me! Question: Where are you going to keep your award? Bernard Hill: I'm going to sleep on this tonight, I guess. It's a bit of a cliché people saying this is (indecipherable) oscar but this means an awful lot, for that scene particularly. I'm really, really proud to have got this because it's a reflection of my persistence and the work process and the fact that everything was open for negotiation. The fact I got the scene in and it got shot like I imagined it is an amazing tribute to the work process and Phillipa, Fran and Peter Who'd be the hardest in a fight? King Theoden or Yosser Hughes [character Bernard Hill played in 'Boys from the Black Stuff']? Bernard Hill: I don't know. It depends if you're going to live in this century or the last! ANDY SERKIS - RECIPIENT OF THE 'BEST BRITISH ACTOR' AWARD FOR HIS PERFORMANCE AS SMEAGOL/GOLLUM IN 'RETURN OF THE KING' Andy Serkis: I had no idea I was even nominated tonight! I had absolutely no idea so this is beyond a treat, I tell you. I'm amazed! I really would like to say a massive thank you again to the 'Empire' readers who are obviously very intelligent and can see that there was an actor involved in the role. It's been a fantastic, incredible journey - a fascinating project to work on, and it is by now I hope people understand how much acting was a part of the process, although it finally manifested itself as a CG character. It's been a bit of a journey to explain it really, how it's worked, but first and foremost it really is my duty to thank obviously Peter Jackson because obviously he has such great vision, but also the writing which really.. for anyone who has seen the films, Gollum is an incredibly well crafted and well written part. Without those words and without that arc of a great journey and the psychologically complex character it would just be nothing for anybody to play, regardless of whether it was CG or not. Question: How does Gollum feel about winning tonight? Andy Serkis (as Smeagol): We won precioussss. We're so happy! We've got to be really, really generous to everybody! Andy Serkis (as Gollum): No! No! It's mine! My own! My preciousssss! Question: Do you feel you're finally getting recognition for your role then? Andy Serkis: I have to say that I really didn't expect any recognition for the role. It was really down to a lot of people who put it out there... In acting terms there's been no difference in the way I approached this role than any other role that I've played on screen or on the stage or television. It's just a matter of becoming and embodying a character. This character is obviously very extreme. But really it's down to a few people who put it out there, publicity wise, who decided to show the world that the contribution ... the pscychological development of the character, the physicality, the behaviour - everything that really goes into making a character - is driven by an actor. I think that in the first year.. 'The Two Towers' when that came out... it was difficult for people to see the link, but I think now that people have seen that. I think it's a great thing, not only for me personally as an actor, but for the character which we always humanise as much as possible, to make a CG character have impact. The greatest reward, to cut a long story short, is the response I've had from the audiences to the character. They've genuinely been moved by it. Question: Has Peter asked you to play a similar CG character in 'King Kong'? Andy Serkis: We have talked about it. There's nothing signed and sealed at the moment. He's talked about it... he wants us all to go back really, at some point over the years, but at the moment nothing's definite. There's been some discussions about it. Question: But you'd be willing to put the suit back on....? Andy Serkis: The fact is it's all down to scripts. As we all know good movies are all about good scripts. I would kill to work with Peter and Fran and Phillipa again because they write brilliant stories and they write brilliant scripts, so I would definitely do it again. What has been proven by playing this role, and obviously technology has evolved over the last four years, is that you can play anything! This technology - this hybrid of techology and acting - has really opened up a new way of working as an actor where you're not inhibited by your own physicality or by your own shape and size. You can play anything! So yes in terms of acting challenges: yes, if it's a great role then there's nothing to say 'I wouldn't ever do a CG role again' - I definitely would, but it's down to the writing! Question: How did you create the voice? Andy Serkis: The voice was... when you're getting into a role you try and find as many things to psychologically link yourself into the character because again you get that thing of humanising him. He looks so extreme, from the human point of contact, so the addiction thing was very powerful to me - the whole notion that he was a junkie, a Ring junkie heroin addict basically. That impacted the physicality of the voice. Also it was that plus the guilt that he felt about killing his cousin, trapped in his throat like Tourette's Syndrome. It was also born out of watching my cats. Tolkien describes Gollum as walking around like lots of different animals and cats when they get fur stuck in the backs of their throats go through this whole kind of convulsion (FX: does cat choking on fur ball impression)... and that's how it became (FX: voice as Gollum)Gollum! Gollum! Question: How upset would you be if you don't get the oscar for best film? Andy Serkis: I think everybody involved in it would be pretty upset because not only is what Peter Jackson's achieved remarkable, but he's also sent out a very strong message to the film community and audiences that you cannot make big special effects grandiose epics without heart and without story and without characters that you can emotionally really connect with. No matter how much money you've got, no matter how the technology's evolved, unless there's a marriage of those things they're not going to reach any contact with an audience. For that reason alone he really, really deserves everything he gets. He's a maestro! ANDY SERKIS, BILLY BOYD AND BERNARD HILL - ACCEPTING 'MOVIE OF THE YEAR' AWARD FOR 'RETURN OF THE KING' Question: How does it feel to win, Billy> Billy Boyd: It feels really, really good. It's much better than losing! Question: What does it mean to you to win THIS award? Billy Boyd: Ummm, yeah... I mean it's really special because it's 'Empire' and anyone that buys 'Empire' is interested in movies. So it's great that it's not just people who go and see movies and forget about it - it's from people who are really interested in movies and who've said 'Yeah, this is still the best film of the year'. It means a lot! Question: With regard to the oscars, have you got any conflict of interests with this and 'Master and Commander'? Billy Boyd: Yeah, totally! But I don't mind that because it really lowers the odds that I'm going to be in something that wins, which is good! Question: How do the two films compare? Billy Boyd: Emmm... Well one was five months, and the other was four years. So one was much longer. And one was much wetter! 'Master and Commander' was really, really wet, and really, really cold! But it had the same sort of feeling actually... it felt like a group of people all trying to make the best film they could. 'Master and Commander' was so full of English theatre actors. We all treated it as a theatre job actually! And I had the same feeling on 'Lord of the Rings'. Question: How important are the BAFTA's for you? Do they match the oscars, or are they the poor relation? Bernard Hill: To be honest, I think they've both achieved a similar importance in their own way. Now the BAFTA's are, I think, this side of the pond, achieve the same kind of significance and people respect the fact that they've been nominated and are going to win the BAFTA's equally as.much as people on the other side do. There's a great commercial gap, obviously, because to win an oscar means that you're guaranteed a certain amount of remuneration in the next movie, and if you win 'Best Film' then the chances are that you that the producers will.. that that will be reflected by an increase in their ability to go out and to do more films. This side of the pond, unfortunately, we're still kind of bogged down in the idea that British film isn't worthwhile which is nonsense. If you look around and see what happens in films that achieve significance, more and more the percentage of English actors and British talent... sorry, Billy, I mean British actors and British talent... in those films are the things that make those films significant in their own way. The oscars are becoming more and more precious because they're guarding against that kind of influx. It was a long time ago when somebody said 'The British are coming!', but the British are already here.. and they're there! I think it should continue, and it's inevitable that it will. I think the British are taking over, because of the talent that we have, are taking over the American film industry slowly, and I think that's the best way to do it because it's going to last longer. Question: Andy, after Gollum what next? Andy Serkis: There's a few interesting things that are going to be happening this year, but as yet nothing is signed and sealed and I'm very loathe to say anything in case it jinxes it because that's always the way - especially with British films. They're so kind of late in the coming and the script - things come together at the last minute. If anything I hope things will change in that respect with the British Film Industry - that we have more confidence. It is frustrating as British actors never being able to really take our films the way we want to go because financing is in such a dreadful state and because distribution is in such a dreadful state. To answer your question, I'm not much help! Question: Andy, how upset are you that 'The Hobbit' hasn't been green lit already? Andy Serkis: I think that's really a Peter Jackson question. By my understanding 'The Hobbit' is a film that he'd love to make but because of rights issues or.. I think it can be made, but it can't be distributed.. because of rights and where they lie. Obviously Middle-earth is there and I think it can be regalvanised at the appropriate time. Question: Are you planning on celebrating tonight? Billy Boyd: I'm gonna have a glass of wine and then I'm gonna dance - the dance of the flaming assholes! Question: How's your film script going? Billy Boyd: It's going alright. We've got a writer involved - a writer called David Grieg - who's helping us polish it up and there's a few people interested, so yeah, it's looking good. Question: Have you got a title yet? Billy Boyd: No. It's got a working title, 'Fish out of Water', but we will change it! Click here to go back to my report of this event Click here for Empire magazine's own coverage of the events
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Email: ian@iansmith.co.uk