At The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers press junket we also talked to Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, who play Merry and Pippin, respectively, in all three of Peter Jackson’s movies. The two shared their thoughts with us on the films, life and more.

Sean (Astin) mentioned women like to dress up as Frodo and Sam at conventions. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen?
Dom – Well, we like to dress up as women (laughter).

How’s life changed since last year?

Dom – You get recognized on the street every so often but it’s not an every day kind of thing. I’m now living in L.A. but everything else is pretty much the same. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t really want to move to London, there’s not a lot of work going on there. I love Manchester, which is my hometown, but unless you want to be involved in a soap opera, there aren’t any films being made there. So L.A.s been a natural transition. I also did a short film in NY this past summer.
Billy – I’ve been in Mexico making a film called The Far Side of the World with Peter Weir for the past six months. It’s based on Patrick O’Brien’s novels about the Napoleonic Wars so it’s set on a frigate from 1805 and Russell Crowe’s also in it. I play the Captain’s coxswain, the helmsman of the ship, who’s sort of the captain’s right hand man.
Dom – You’re Russell’s bitch (laughter).

What’s it like having a talking tree as a costar?

Dom – Treebeard was great. I think there was some confusion that he wasn’t actually there (on set), that he was entirely CG, but they built Treebeard as an 18 foot animatronic puppet. His mouth could move, his eyes could blink and narrow, his arms could move and pick us up. Peter, an actor in New Zealand, would voice his dialogue through a PA system so we would interact with Treebeard, just like any other actor on the set.

What can you tell us about part two?

Billy – For Merry and Pippin, it’s about growing up. They don’t have the fellowship there to protect them anymore so it’s about them having to find a way, forging ahead with their own destiny and not relying on others. And it get’s everyone ready for what’s going to happen in the third one.

What can you say about the third one?

Dom – Well, it’s the destiny of the ring and it’s through all these trials and tribulations that every character goes through and regardless of what happens at the end of the movie, they’re forever changed. It’s an incredible book in that respect. I think Tolkien was fascinated with young men going to war and how they fight for something that they believe in and would die for. When they come come back, their personality’s changed so much that nothing’s the same for them anymore.

There’s been a lot of speculation about Frodo and Sam’s “supposed” relationship. Why isn’t there the same discussion Merry and Pippin?

Dom – With Frodo and Sam, it’s probably because they’re the main characters. Sam has this doting, loving kind of relationship with Frodo, whereas Merry and Pippin seem to bounce off each other quite well as a double act. The purity of Tolkien’s writing was in the same vein as someone who completely adores his master, but the whole master and servant thing is dated now and people confuse that with them being homosexual.

What did you miss most during film production?

Dom – When we were out and about, there was a real camaraderie with the group. We spent 13-14 hours a day together, sometimes seven days a week without a break. There was even a stretch shooting 19 days straight but we still wanted to go out with the same people every night, even on holiday trips to Thailand and Sydney.

Do you think part two has a chance to be a best picture nominee again?

Dom – Everybody that we spoke to in the media said it’s a better movie than FOTR, so why not …

Do you collect things from the movies?

Dom – I get most of my toys from nephews and nieces. I also collect mugs and there’s a LOTR chess set that I’m trying to get a hold of.

What do you think of Gollum and Dobby (from Harry Potter)?

Dom – Dobby was kind of based on Gollum. There are elements of Harry Potter that seems to be influenced by LOTR. The name of the bad assistant in Harry Potter is Wormtail and there’s Wormtongue in TTT.

Cominig Soon

Related posts:

1. The Hobbits: Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd

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