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Comic Con 2003 Day 3
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Preview Night Day 1 Day 2 Day 3, page 1 Day 3, page 2 Day 4 Panel Transcript


Andy Serkis: Put your hands together for Sean Astin ... and Elijah Wood

FX: lots of applause and piercing girly screams

Andy Serkis: So guys, you can finally come clean and tell everybody what it's been like working with this weird, bald-headed, you know....

Elijah Wood: He smells!

Andy Serkis: Thank you.. tie-dyed suited man with a cat sick voice crawling around. What's it like acting with someone like that?

Elijah Wood: Me, I don't know. I've told you countless times that your performance on set as Gollum, regardless of the suit, made Gollum come to life for me so... It was actually really easy to work with. I mean it was a new thing - I think it was new for everybody - you, everybody on set - it was new to work with a character that was going to be completely CG and maybe deal with the fact that there was the set element, and then the motion capture later. And we were learning all these things as we went along. But in terms of the actual work for us, it was you on set that made it come alive for us.

Andy Serkis: Having said that, these guys... in the hands of a less focused group and dedicated actors every time we did a shot we'd have to do it, me acting with them, and then they'd be left with the real challenge of miming where I'd been so you guys, honest to God...

Elijah Wood: We did have some miming to do didn't we! Which was particularly tricky for the fighting sequences. Fighting with nothing.

Sean Astin: Andy ripped my wig off.

Andy Serkis: I did it on purpose.

Elijah Wood: (laughing) He had to bring that up, didn't he!

Andy Serkis He'll never forget it.

Sean Astin: It really hurt.

Andy Serkis: Good!

Elijah Wood: He was really angry!

Sean Astin: I wasn't angry, I was just in a lot of pain. I wasn't angry at Andy but it really hurt. It was glued on and fastened with these fastener things and Gollum's supposed to pull Sam back and Andy's kind of passionate.

Elijah Wood: He's like a man possessed when he's actually in Gollum mode!

Sean Astin: Yeah, yeah! Kind of intense! So he grabs me and rips the wig right off my head

Elijah Wood (does sound effects of Gollum attacking Sam)

Sean Astin: Do the Ringwraiths!

Elijah Wood: I don't know if I can do the Ringwraiths... (does excellent impression of Ringwraiths scream). That made me a little sweaty. You know Fran Walsh actually did the voice of the Ringwraiths. She screamed and did the Ringwraiths.

Sean Astin: Remember she screamed when we did this scene where we were supposed to be asleep, and then the Ringwraiths come...

Elijah Wood .. and she did it when ...

Sean Astin.. it scared the shit out of me! You always try to recover quickly. 'I knew that was going to happen. I knew that was going to happen. I'm fine'.

Andy Serkis: The other thing we should really tell them about is what you managed to get us all up to that horrible wet Sunday when we'd all had a very big night out the night before.

Sean Astin: By show of applause has anybody heard about my short film, 'The Long and Short of It'?

FX: Loud applause

Sean Astin: Does everybody know that Dominic and I wrote it together? And Elijah was my first assistant director. And Andy started out as ...well...

Andy Serkis: Locations assistant!

Elijah Wood: That's right and you moved up a ladder didn't you?

Andy Serkis: I moved up the line to Executive Producer!

Sean Astin: He did a lot of work on it on the day. He was actually kind of better first A.D. than even Elijah. Elijah was more like the studio exec going 'Let's go. Let's go. Peter's coming'

Elijah Wood: I kept you on track! If it hadn't been for me you wouldn't have shot Keith... it would have been a mess!

Laura Abely: We have a little bit to show so we can show people what you're talking about. Roll the clip!

FX: excerpt from 'Making of The Long and the Short of It' from theatrical release DVD is shown featuring cast interviews and short excerpt from the film. Astin dances to fade-out music

Elijah Wood: Look at him go, huh!

Laura Abely: That whole short film will be on the DVD coming out August 26th.

Seah Astin: It's going to be on New Line's DVD. New Line's releasing the theatrical version of Lord of the Rings in August and you can see the entire five minute short film plus a full eight minute 'Behind the Scenes/Making of'...

Andy Serkis: And Sideshow Weta are making the collectibles as well so you can buy them!

Laura Abely: In addition to that great short film that's on the DVD we also have another preview on the DVD. Maybe you guys are aware of it? There's a look at 'The Return of the King'!

FX: Applause

Laura Abely: I can't really introduce it, so I have a special greeting from somebody who can introduce it better than I

One of the actors in squeaky voice: Take it away, Peter!

Ian McKellen (on film, dressed as Gandalf the White on set in New Zealand): Hello Comic-Con! ...muffled through extreme audience applause ... Peter, you've got to go to Comic-Con some time!

Peter Jackson: I'd love to go! But I'm too busy at the moment unfortunately. We're down here in New Zealand doing some extra bit of shooting for 'Return of the King'.

Ian McKellen: (pointing at Billy Boyd in costume but at normal height) I can't believe the height of this guy.

Peter Jackson: The hobbit?

Ian Mckellen: Come on... (FX: Billy Boyd gets down on his knees)

Peter Jackson: So what we're basically doing... I think we've got a preview of the preview of 'Return of the King'! In August on the DVD there's going to be a twelve minute preview of 'Return of the King'. And here at Comic-Con we're showing a three minute preview of the twelve minute preview of the three hour movie. I hope you really enjoy it.

FX: Three minute preview is shown to audience


Laura Abely: Thanks to Richard Taylor and his team for coming here all the way from New Zealand. Thanks to Andy, Sean, Elijah, Dominic and all the volunteers.

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Email: ian@iansmith.co.uk