The work on the movies of The Lord of the Rings takes a long time and was a significant challenge for some actors. Two actors received a very special gift from Peter Jackson.
Peter Jackson tackled a mammoth project in the late 90s. Not only did he plan to adapt the grand fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, but he also wanted to shoot all three parts simultaneously.
Normally, for such large productions, one film is shot first, and the success at the box office is awaited. But Peter Jackson decided against this and filmed the entire trilogy between 1999 and 2001. There were additional shoots afterward, where extra scenes were recorded.
At the end of the long and exhausting work, the director rewarded his acting ensemble with various gifts. Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, received the sword of his character. Liv Tyler, who portrayed Arwen, was allowed to keep one of her dresses. You can find impressions of these emotional moments in this video on Instagram.
However, for Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis, who played Frodo and Gollum, Jackson had kept a special gift. He rewarded them with the most valuable thing in Middle-earth.
Gollum will receive his own film next year – and all 9 companions might even appear in it.
One Ring to rule them …
What was the gift? Many might already suspect it – yes, Jackson presented the two actors with the One Ring. The most powerful weapon in Middle-earth, which naturally exists only once in the story. However, since the film production made a whole series of copies, Jackson was able to pass two of them on.
The curious thing is: The director gave Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis their gift at different times. Both did not know that another actor had also received the One Ring. They were left under the impression that they were the only ones to have received this very special prop.
But Sauron – pardon, Peter Jackson – deceived them all: He managed, like the great villain from The Lord of the Rings, to keep the existence of the One Ring a secret from others. It is unclear when exactly Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis found out that the other also possessed the Ring.
However, it can be assumed that both actors were pleased with the gift. After all, they played two Ring-bearers. The fiery flames of Mount Doom will likely never see these copies of the powerful weapon.
Thus, the long filming ended with a nice gesture from Peter Jackson. Andy Serkis became world-famous through the role of Gollum and is still considered a pioneer in the field of motion capture. However, initially, he was warned about the job: The actor of Gollum was advised not to participate in The Lord of the Rings because the character has a major problem.
