Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Undertaking 'Lord of the Rings'
Aired December 20, 2002 - 05:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the "Lord of the Rings." Some stars think he's more a magician than a movie man, but Peter Jackson, who was behind the making of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, says it's just a lot of hard work.
CNN's Jodi Ross has more on the undertaking of the trilogy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new star is arising. Its victory is at hand.
JODI ROSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" it's a battle of good versus evil. And on the set of the film in New Zealand, Peter Jackson was putting up his own fight with fatigue.
PETER JACKSON, DIRECTOR: It was a lot harder than I ever imagined it would be. A lot -- it was harder physically. Physically I was expecting to get tired, but what did surprise me was the mental exhaustion that I kind of just got -- my brain got fried sometimes.
This is Gandalf's in total control. You guys are just here to help Gandalf or there might be a strong fight. Just keep your eye line up a little bit as you...
ROSS: That's understandable considering writer, producer, director Jackson shot all three flicks in the trilogy at the same time. Seven years of preparation and 15 months of filming meant a major commitment from the cast.
ELIJAH WOOD, FRODO: I think we all went to New Zealand expecting it to be quite difficult and, you know, intense, but it was even more intense than we could have imagined.
LIV TYLER, ARWEN: The principal photography was about a year and a half and we continued to go back to do post-production for each film one at a time. So it's just like basically working on a movie for three, four, five years instead of, you know, less than a year.
JACKSON: You know...
WOOD: You know what's come over me?
JACKSON: Yes, I thought if you just play that moment for us that was what I was going to tell you about. ROSS: He kept his stars smiling and production rolling while making cinema history. To them, Jackson seems more magician than movie man.
JOHN RHYS-DAVIES, GIMLI: It slowly dawned on me that this unassuming little fellow really did have everything that was needed to do this. And I'm very proud to say that within two weeks of being there I was actually says guys, we are making a masterpiece.
ROSS (on camera): Maybe so, but will movie buffs and "Ring" readers agree? The first film made hundreds of millions of dollars and won four Academy Awards, but what pleased Jackson the most was the positive response to his work.
JACKSON: I'm hoping that people will feel the same way about this film as they did the second -- as they did the first one.
ROSS (voice-over): If they do, then maybe Peter Jackson can put this baby to bed, at least until this time next year when part three hits theaters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the ring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bruno (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's taken over you?
ROSS: Jodi Ross, CNN Entertainment News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And in the spirit of full disclosure, "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is produced by New line Productions, which is owned by AOL Time Warner, which is, of course, CNN's parent company.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 20, 2002 - 05:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the "Lord of the Rings." Some stars think he's more a magician than a movie man, but Peter Jackson, who was behind the making of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, says it's just a lot of hard work.
CNN's Jodi Ross has more on the undertaking of the trilogy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new star is arising. Its victory is at hand.
JODI ROSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" it's a battle of good versus evil. And on the set of the film in New Zealand, Peter Jackson was putting up his own fight with fatigue.
PETER JACKSON, DIRECTOR: It was a lot harder than I ever imagined it would be. A lot -- it was harder physically. Physically I was expecting to get tired, but what did surprise me was the mental exhaustion that I kind of just got -- my brain got fried sometimes.
This is Gandalf's in total control. You guys are just here to help Gandalf or there might be a strong fight. Just keep your eye line up a little bit as you...
ROSS: That's understandable considering writer, producer, director Jackson shot all three flicks in the trilogy at the same time. Seven years of preparation and 15 months of filming meant a major commitment from the cast.
ELIJAH WOOD, FRODO: I think we all went to New Zealand expecting it to be quite difficult and, you know, intense, but it was even more intense than we could have imagined.
LIV TYLER, ARWEN: The principal photography was about a year and a half and we continued to go back to do post-production for each film one at a time. So it's just like basically working on a movie for three, four, five years instead of, you know, less than a year.
JACKSON: You know...
WOOD: You know what's come over me?
JACKSON: Yes, I thought if you just play that moment for us that was what I was going to tell you about. ROSS: He kept his stars smiling and production rolling while making cinema history. To them, Jackson seems more magician than movie man.
JOHN RHYS-DAVIES, GIMLI: It slowly dawned on me that this unassuming little fellow really did have everything that was needed to do this. And I'm very proud to say that within two weeks of being there I was actually says guys, we are making a masterpiece.
ROSS (on camera): Maybe so, but will movie buffs and "Ring" readers agree? The first film made hundreds of millions of dollars and won four Academy Awards, but what pleased Jackson the most was the positive response to his work.
JACKSON: I'm hoping that people will feel the same way about this film as they did the second -- as they did the first one.
ROSS (voice-over): If they do, then maybe Peter Jackson can put this baby to bed, at least until this time next year when part three hits theaters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the ring.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bruno (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's taken over you?
ROSS: Jodi Ross, CNN Entertainment News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And in the spirit of full disclosure, "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is produced by New line Productions, which is owned by AOL Time Warner, which is, of course, CNN's parent company.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
