Vanity Fair
October 2000

The Hobbits Are Coming

Ian McKellen as
Gandalf the Grey


Gandalf in Hobbiton

 

In January when Vanity Fair sent Hugh Stewart to New Zealand, the aim was to present the first images of the hobbits and Gandalf in their natural setting of Hobbiton among the rolling hills of the North Island near Hamilton. The hobbit actors had been shooting for 4 months, accustomed to their prosthetic ears and feet, but I had only just started and my pointy hat and the rest of the wizardly outfit felt a little uncomfortable, particularly when posing for an alien camera. When Gandalf didn't appear in the April "Hollywood" edition, I presumed that Vanity Fair were unhappy with him in some way. Now, belatedly, I needn't have worried and can reassure you that Gandalf not only looks like these shots but feels like them too. — Ian McKellen, September 2000

Photographs by Hugh Stewart

More fotos in the current (October 2000) issue of Vanity Fair

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