Ian McKellen E-Posts

"Mercy!" cried Gandalf: "if the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What do you want to know?"

23 December 2002

FRODO'S EYES

From: Audry Redden orangediva16@hotmail.com

Q: You know how Frodo's eyes are so big and bright? Is that done artificially? Oh...could you pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze tell Elijah that he makes the most perfect Frodo ^_^ Thanks!!

A: I do know. They are entirely his own. Oh...I could yessssssssssssss ;-)!!

FRENCH & SAUNDERS

From: Tim Beasley

Q: Have you seen the French and Saunders send up of the FOTR and did you enjoy it?

A: Yes and enjoyed it so much that I called the director Ed Bye (Ruby Wax's partner) and asked him to send Peter Jackson a copy. He loves it too. I hope he will want to include it on the bumper DVD (blooper reel and all) which is planned following the release of The Return of the King. I haven't seen the apparently racier parody on MTV.

SLASH

From: Saathi QueenB@trust-me.com

Q: My fellow yahoogroup members and I all respect you, the cast, crew, and movie itself. Most of us indulge in a hobby called 'fanfic.' A great deal of us write (or read) 'slash,' and a few members write 'RPS' ­ (Real Person Slash.) What are your thoughts on such things? Do you consider them slanderous to your good character and/or to the good character of any actor/movie/etc?

A: I am not well acquainted with slash but find nothing harmful in sharing fantasies about favourite characters or their interpreters. Within the context of such sites even Real Person stories seem unobjectionable as they are clearly fictional.

THREE LONG YEARS

From: Karin drink_karin@hehe.com

Q: I saw "Lord of the Rings" 3 weeks ago for the second time, this time it was with my 84 year old grandmother! She was amazed! But the saddest thing is that she is very old and tired. She is always sick and once a week she spends the night in a hospital. I¹m afraid that she will die before she can see the trilogy. Don¹t you think it¹s bad that they decided to show those movies over 3 whole long years?

A: There wasn't an alternative really because to issue the three films one after the other would have meant delaying the release until the end of 2003 when they could all be finished. But I'm so glad your grandmother enjoyed "Felowship of the Ring". So did my 95 year old stepmother.

E-POSTS

From: The Bornean McKellen Jelly Team

Q: Your E-Post has become very popular, and we understand that it takes a lot of time and effort to manage them the way you do. Has there been any second thoughts for ever starting it?

A: As long as it's understood why I post erratically (work and laziness are to blame) I have no regrets. I get to hear from the sweetest Jelly Teams.

THRILLS

Q: At moments of excitement or surprise, music and cinematography plays a key role in the audience's experience. how much of the thrill do you experience as an actor during filming. it seems like the cameras, actors, repeated takes etc. could take the fun out of an intense scene. for example, when gandalf the white reveals himself to legolas, aragorn and gimli, how much of gandalf's thrill at revealing himself do you get to enjoy?

A: One of the tricks of film acting is to be able to discount the distractions and concentrate so hard into the moment while the camera is turning so you can revel with the character and sometimes suffer too. I was always aware that Gandalf's return was being given the full treatment by Andrew Lesnie's lighting department. I think I associated with Gandalf's own sense that this was a crucial moment for the Fellowship.

Click to enlarge

READING LOTR

From: Phil Sudduth psudduth@swbell.net

Q: My daughter has been reading "fluff" literature (I'm being kind). LOTR has inspired her to read not only the trilogy, but The Hobbit as well. I can't thank you and everyone involved with LOTR enough. Again, thank you.

A: And thank you.

READ THE BOOKS FIRST?

From: Marilyn Smith

Q: My husband, who has read the trilogy several times and seemed unheathily obsessed with it, dragged me along to see "Lord of the Rings". I agreed to go only if he'd never mention it, or Tolkien, or the One Ring, ever again. Three hours later, awestruck to the point of tears, I turned to him and said "WOW!!!" Do you think that this movie could be the exception to the old "rule" about reading the book first???

A: I had always hope that the film would appeal to those who had never read the books as well as to Tolkien's admirers. It doesn't seem to matter which you are.

PAST WORK

From: krazyjym@hotmail.com Jym

Q: I want to know if you've noticed people looking at or taking interest in your past work?

A: Well if they are interested this site should be of assistance.

THE SCORE

 From: Matthew Verlei

Q: I saw the movie 4 times, and every time I dreaded the scene on the Bridge of Khazad Dum. It moved me to tears everytime, and this is coming from someone who had no interest in seeing this film. Anyway, the music following Gandalf's death during the boom shot of the fellowship exiting the mines is amazing. I just wanted to know if you enjoyed Howard Shore's score as much as me.

A: Oh yes, Howard's themes and orchestrations are crucial to the film's success and like you I find them very moving.


Gandalf the Grey fighting the Balrog

 

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Additional E-Posts about LOTR may be found in

The Lord of the Rings