Elijah Wood Says 27 Years Disappeared the Moment He Became Frodo Again in THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM
Some things you just don't forget, especially when you've spent years running around Middle-earth with a pair of oversized Hobbit feet.
Elijah Wood is officially back as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and stepping into the role again after more than two decades apparently felt like he'd never left the Shire.
Wood recently spoke with Deadline about returning to Middle-earth for director Andy Serkis, describing the experience as “beautiful and surreal and it felt like no time had passed.”
The actor filmed his scenes earlier this year, and now that Serkis has confirmed principal photography has wrapped, Wood is sharing what it was actually like to become Frodo again.
For Wood, it wasn't some complicated process of rediscovering a character he hadn't played in years. Apparently, all it took was putting on the familiar costume and looking down at those ridiculous Hobbit feet.
“It felt like stepping back into time. You know, looking down…having this sort of muscle memory that I’ve seen these feet this way. I know this wardrobe. And that feeling is so wild. It’s so transportive. Suddenly 27 years are gone and you’re back in it again.”
That's pretty damn cool. After all these years, Frodo is still in there somewhere, just waiting for Wood to slip those hairy feet back on.
Wood had previously talked about his excitement for the project, explaining that the movie was bringing together many of the people responsible for making the original trilogy such a massive success.
“I think it really is a creative ‘getting the band back together. It’s very much that core original group getting back together to tell this story that will feel like a really fun exploration of this character that we all love so much.”
That reunion includes Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf and Lee Pace reprising his role as Thranduil. Serkis is also pulling double duty, directing the film while returning to play Gollum. The cast is getting some fresh blood as well, with Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, and Leo Woodall joining the adventure.
As for the story, The Hunt for Gollum takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, following Aragorn on a dangerous mission to track down Gollum before the miserable little creature can reveal the location of the One Ring to Sauron.
The film draws heavily from J.R.R. Tolkien's writings and footnotes, exploring a part of Middle-earth's history that the original movies never fully covered.
Serkis also gave fans something interesting to pick apart last month when he shared a video slideshow featuring images from the production. One of the final shots appears to show Wood's Frodo entering Bilbo's Hobbit hole.
It's a small glimpse, but seeing Frodo back in that familiar place is exactly the kind of thing that gets longtime Lord of the Rings fans excited.
Warner Bros. Pictures will release The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in theaters worldwide on December 17, 2027.