STACK #126 Apr 2016

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with LUKE EVANS

Are you still in touch with Peter Jackson? Not that much now, but just because he’s so busy with the film. He’s shut away in a big dark room in Wellington somewhere. But I saw him at Comic-Con and he had a glass or two and we talked about old times and new times, and where we all were. What do you think his greatest skills are as a director? I think his ability to deal with huge, sweeping scenes of massive proportions and still be able to take the detail of the actor in that scene, and make sure they know what

figure to the people of Lake-town, who were looking for a leader initially, and there’s no one there. Previously, they had the Master of Lake-town, who was this useless, greedy, corrupt man – and they didn’t have much to follow in the first-place. The physical regime needed for the role; did you carry that with you into life? Yep, I kept it going really. I had a trainer and changed my whole diet. I had a nutritionist, the whole lot. It was full on. I still train now, for myself, I don’t need to train that crazy. It’s good to allow the body

you. But as time goes on, that’s become a more common occurrence. When you play a character from a fantasy world or from a mythical world or from history, it’s even more weird when you see that person in the flesh, who played that role. It’s different to when you see them playing in a contemporary film. But a lot of my characters, I look very different from, so I think it must be quite surreal for them to meet you. Thinking of that, you presumably saw the The Lord of the Rings films before you stepped on board. Was there one actor you were excited or nervous to work with? Yeah, Ian [McKellen],

they’re doing and that they feel safe and have thought about all the different factors that would influence their decisions in that scene. I’ve always appreciated that about him when I was on a big scene. He might not be on the set at that point, because the tent is miles away, but he’ll be on a microphone, and he’s watching and tweaking things, via his microphone, and then he looks at you

I think. I was excited but nervous to work with him, but he’s a delightful human being. He’s very fun and relaxed on set and really enjoys what he does. He makes everybody else’s experience fun as well. You can’t imagine anyone else playing Gandalf. I hope that’s what somebody will be saying about my character in ten years time. ‘It couldn’t have been played by anybody else – it had to be Luke.’

• The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is out now

and says, ‘So Luke, at this point…’ And then he fills you in. He’s switched on the whole

to chill out and relax and eat normal food. I don’t think the body responds if you keep hammering it. It’s too much. When you were filming The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies , were you training at night? I was training for Dracula Untold while doing The Battle of the Five Armies , which was insane. I was exhausted. There’s an amazing gym in Wellington, which I used to love. I loved that gym – Les Mills. A great place. I took my trainer with me – it was mad. Did you enjoy working with Stephen Fry, who plays the Master? Yeah. We had quite a few scenes, me and Stephen, and it was really fun. He plays the character very well. They made him look fantastic.

How would you describe Bard’s journey through The Battle of the Five Armies ? Well, he’s already changed when you see him at the beginning of the third film. He’s already a different person. He’s already taken the gauntlet and run with it. If he had any sense, he would’ve left Lake-town with his kids and done a runner. He has to go and try to fight the Dragon for his kids. So, you’re already watching a man discovering self-belief, and somehow finding the courage to do something almost super-human in the face of complete adversity – something he shouldn’t be doing. Will we see more of him with his family? Yes, but it develops into something much bigger than that. He doesn’t just stay as a father figure. He almost becomes a father

time, and that’s a good attribute to have. And he’s incredibly detailed – I love that. Sometimes, he’ll get you to do the same thing so many times, and you think, ‘I wonder what it is that I’m doing or not doing,’ but you keep going until you feel he’s got it. You just have to trust him. He’s a man who likes options. Do you think he’s sad that it’s coming to an end? I’m sure. Can you imagine how long he’s been a part of this world now? It must be nice to see the final thing coming to a close. It must be such a proud, satisfying moment to finish the sixth movie. It’s a huge deal, a huge achievement.

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