The hobbit has grown up

There’s something about the way Elijah Wood laughs that makes you feel at ease at first meeting.

“My laugh is a many-layered thing,” Elijah said as a way of kicking off our interview at Four Seasons during last week’s junket in New York City for The Last Witch Hunter which stars Vin Diesel in the titular role. Directed by Breck Eisner (The Crazies, etc.), the movie follows the adventure of Diesel’s character Kaulder, a valiant warrior who ages ago killed the all-powerful Witch Queen who cursed Kaulder with immortality before she died. Forever separated from his wife and daughter, Kaulder remains the last living hunter who spent his immortal life tracking down rogue witches, including the Witch Queen who has been resurrected.

Like Diesel who loves the adventure-fantasy stuff, the cast of the movie has roots in that genre, including Rose Leslie, cast as Chloe the modern-day witch ally of Kaulder, who is fondly remembered for her role as Ygritte for three seasons on HBO’s Game Of Thrones; and, yes, Elijah as the 37th Dolan (succeeding Michael Caine as the 36th  Dolan), the succession of Kaulder’s priestly advisers. Although he has done other roles, Elijah will forever be, in the mind of his fans, Frodo Baggins, the lovable hobbit in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s best-selling books).

“Michael’s character passes his mantle to my character, a young priest,” explained Elijah. “The script surprised me. I thought the storytelling was fresh and compelling. It is a large-scale, original take on our world, one where we co-exist with witches. I’d never read anything quite like it. When (director) Breck showed me all the amazing art work that had been created, that cemented my interest in the movie.”

During the interview, Elijah would break into his “multi-layered” laugh every time he was reminded of his iconic The Lord of the Ring character. Having been honed in the genre, Elijah perfectly fits the 36th Dolan role he plays in The Last Witch Hunter (produced by Lionsgate and released nationwide today by Pioneer Films).  

What does the movie remind you of?

“It’s sort of a hybrid. It has a lot of everything. It’s an action film that has war elements, action-adventure and real deep connection to fantasy. It’s sort of all these things. I haven’t seen a hybrid quite like this before.”

Are you fascinated with witches like Vin is?

“Sure! When I was young, I remember curling up and reading books about witches. I’ve been fascinated with stories about witches. It didn’t really matter whether there are really witches or not. Witches and witchcraft and the notion of covens…you know, people sort of secretly practicing hidden rituals…have always been a source of fascination for me.”

So you’re not scared of witches?

“Definitely not!”

Isn’t Vin’s booming voice more scary than witches (joke!)?

“Of course, not! Yes, Vin does have a booming voice and I find it exciting. There’s a musical sound to it, or didn’t you notice? But he also has a unique kind of whisper, a gravelly whisper.”

Can you sound like him?

“No, I cannot. But I can laugh the way that he cannot.” (He proceeded to laugh his “many-layered” laugh) “But you know, as big and as larger-than-life that his characters are, Vin is very much a softie. He has a gentle heart.”

Weren’t you disappointed that you had only one scene with Caine?

“It was a challenge and a big honor working with Michael in that one scene. Very exciting! We were all nervous to have  him on the set because he’s such a legendary actor. In fact, we shouldn’t have been nervous because Michael was such a nice person. But as an actor, you just have to do your absolute best whoever actor you are working with.”

How was the transition from being a child actor to an adult actor? What were the challenges along the way and how did you hurdle them?

“Uhm, not easy. I just kind of kept working. I don’t think I was really part of anything very huge when I was very young. I just keep on doing my best to do things that were different and trying to find play roles. Honestly, I didn’t notice growing up in the limelight at all. Maybe because I’ve been too busy working to notice it.”

You’ve done several films. What would you consider your most memorable?

“Most memorable? Uhm, I have favorites. One of them is a movie called Grand Piano that I did two years ago. That has remained my favorite.” (Premiered at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2013, Grand Piano is an English-language Spanish thriller in which Elijah co-stars with John Cusack. The story is about a promising pianist set for a comeback performance under threat from a sniper who swears to kill him if he hits a wrong note.)

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