Но среди горящих руин засела группа лучников. Капитаном их был Бэрд, тот самый воин с угрюмым голосом и угрюмым лицом, которого приятели обвиняли в том, что он вечно предсказывает наводнения и мор на рыбу. Но при этом они прекрасно знали, что он человек отважный и достойный. Он был дальним потомком Гириона, властителя Дейла, чьи жена и сын спаслись когда-то из руин Дейла по реке Быстротечной. Сейчас он стрелял из большого тисового лука до тех пор, пока не расстрелял все стрелы, кроме одной. К нему уже подбиралось пламя пожара. Товарищи оставили его одного. Он натянул лук в последний раз».
EXCLUSIVE – Luke Evans talks to TheOneRing.net April 1, 2014 at 12:47 am by greendragon -
luke-evans-1With just a week to go until the Home Video release (in the US at least - check our post here for full details of when the Home Video comes out in different countries) of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, TheOneRing.net has recently had the chance to catch up with some of the film’s lead actors. Last week staffer greendragon spoke to Luke Evans about his role as Bard the Bowman, about using his native accent on-screen, and about stepping in to big shoes (or perhaps a big coffin?) to take on the role of Dracula. Here’s what he had to say:
greendragon: How did you start approaching the character of Bard? What did you focus on about him when first preparing the part: his role as an heroic figure, his ancestry, his position as a father…?
Luke Evans: The last was the thing I thought about most – he is a father. He has a huge journey in the story of the films: he goes from being just a lowly bargeman, then we discover that his ancestor was Girion, the man who took a shot at the dragon and failed, so his ancestors have been sort of ostracized, they’ve lost their privileges and their titles… There’s a lot to him. But I think when I first started studying the role and creating and building up Bard’s character, I had to focus on what was there in front of me. At that point of the story when we first meet him, he’s just a dad; he’s a single parent living in a horrible place called Lake-town! He has no money, he’s not able to make any money – and he sees these dwarves who show him some money, and he thinks he can make a little bit of extra money to look after his kids. That’s who he is at that point; and I guess at that point that’s all I wanted to focus on – because we’ve got another movie to think about, and you want to see the development of the character. I guess Peter, myself, Fran and Philippa all wanted to give Bard his due; to give him enough space to allow the audience to travel with him and support him, and to care for his position. So when Bard does these incredible things, the audience are behind him – much more than if you’d just given him the time that he has in the book, where he’s in and out like a shot. He does play such an important and integral role in the journey of The Hobbit, and the course of the history of Middle-earth…
GD: So when your Bard starts out, he doesn’t have in the back of his mind that he might be a hero one day – that’s not something for which he’s keeping the black arrow?
LE: No, absolutely not. In fact, he hides the only relic of his past in the kitchen – he’s got herbs hanging from it! Nobody even knows it’s there. But it’s his son Bain who knows about the story – he’s heard these fables about the history, and whenever he has a chance to talk about his ancestor Girion he does; whereas Bard doesn’t because Bard knows what happened to Dale. He knows the pain and the heartache, the death and carnage that it brought when his ancestor didn’t kill the dragon. So it’s the last thing on Bard’s mind, that he wants to be, or will ever be, a leader. He just wants to survive this horrid world of Lake-town!
GD: You mention your son Bain; they always say you shouldn’t act with children but it seemed to me that John [Bell] and James Nesbitt’s daughters [Peggy and Mary] did a fantastic job as your three. Was it fun working with them?
LE: Yes it was fantastic. We all had a really fun time working together. They were wonderful; that phrase needs to be rewritten, as regards Peggy and Mary and John Bell! They are really special. I tried to make it fun for them; they’re long days, you know, for youngsters to be on the set, and there’s a lot of hanging about. But we all had a lot of fun. I took the girls to see Taylor Swift a couple of weeks ago - it was very nice to see them. I feel slightly like their father in a way – very sweet.
Bard_Bain.jpgGD: Whose decision was it that Bard and his family would have the Welsh accent? Of course we’ve seen you playing plenty of roles where you haven’t spoken with your native accent… I was delighted to hear it, as it was an accent of the British Isles that we hadn’t heard at all in Middle-earth up to this point.
LE: Well – I did an audition eighteen months before I got any response from them, and they’d taped me doing the audition, but obviously they’d spoken to me before I did the scene. When Peter and Philippa and Fran went back to look over the audition tapes, when they were ready to cast Bard the Bowman, which was almost eighteen months later, they sort of acknowledged my Welsh accent. I think they realized then that it sounded good, and that it could potentially be a valid accent for Bard. So when I did go on tape for the second audition, which was my final audition, I had a long conversation with them on the phone, and they asked me if I would go on tape and actually do the Welsh accent as an option, to see if it worked. It was quite weird for me, I have to say, because I’d never used my Welsh accent like that before, so it was very odd. I think I had to do a couple of takes before my Welsh accent actually sat properly, you know? It’s so weird - because that IS my accent, but I just wasn’t ready for doing it! Anyway we did it, and they loved it - and it became part of Bard’s nature, basically. What I didn’t realize at the time was how much it would then play a role in the film. You know, any descendants of Dale that were still alive in Lake-town, such as Bard and his kids, they all had Welsh accents as well; so we ended up casting quite a lot of Welsh accented people from New Zealand, to speak with Welsh accents, which was really very nice!
GD: That’s great – that’s a lovely extra bit of ‘behind the scenes’ information! So, obviously there are things that you can’t give away, but is there anything you can tell us that you’re particularly looking forward to people seeing in The Hobbit: There and Back Again, when it comes out at the end of the year?
LE: Well - that black arrow…? [dramatic pause] It plays a big role in my story. [laughs] For anyone who hasn’t read the book! Not spoiling it for anyone, but that black arrow – VERY important.
GD: By now you may have been getting used to the huge fan base that Tolkien, The Hobbit and Peter Jackson’s movies have. I see that you’re going to be playing the lead role in the remake of The Crow…
LE: Yes, that’s on the books!
GD: That’s another big cult fan base. Do you think that being in The Hobbit has prepared you for what fan expectations are like with these kinds of movies?
LE: Oh very much so – yes, without a doubt. I mean, I’d spent five years in films, and hadn’t really been spotted on the street; well, some people would say hello, but not many. The Hobbit has really changed that! I look very much like the character, I’m not covered in prosthetics… So yeah, I’ve become sort of visually attached to that role, by people who go to the cinema. So yeah, it’s an interesting one…
GD: But you’re obviously not daunted by stepping into these roles, because you’re also playing Dracula coming up. So you’re clearly quite happy to step into a big role which has a big following.
LE: Well yeah! I mean, we all want to play the challenging roles – well, maybe we all don’t, but I do! I want to do all the great roles! And obviously when Universal approached me to play Dracula, in a new version of the story, retelling the origins of Dracula, my first reaction was, ‘I’m too young!’ [laughs] But then reading the story and the script, I realized it was about the [factual] man behind the fictional character as much as it’s about Dracula; it’s about Vlad Tepes, the man who walked this earth in the 1400s. And yeah, these are huge boots I’m filling – I know the kind of actors that have played this role in the past. It’s exciting, it’s daunting – but it’s a brilliant opportunity for me to progress in this world, this industry, and I took the bull by the horns, as it were – or took the vampire by the fangs – and went with it!
Luke Evans as Bruce Reynolds.jpgGD: Well I can’t wait to see it. I really enjoyed The Great Train Robbery [BBC drama in which Evans played mastermind Bruce Reynolds] last Christmas.
LE: Oh thank you very much. Yeah, I’m really proud of that; I had such a good time watching it, I sort of forgot that it was me, which is always nice!
GD: I wondered if you had any seen similarities between the roles of Bruce Reynolds and Bard, in terms of the role they end up playing in their lives; this kind of walking the line on the wrong side of the law, but perhaps being a kind of ‘freedom fighter’, opposing authority. It intrigued me that there seemed to be some overlap there…
LE: I hadn’t thought about that, to be honest. They are both family men, I know that; as much as he was a criminal, Bruce Reynolds did always look out for his family, and took them away with him when they went on the run. But no, I hadn’t really thought about that; interesting…
GD: I’m hoping that we can maybe persuade you to come to a convention sometime and hang out with some of the fans…
LE: I will definitely do that, definitely. I’m hoping I will be at [San Diego] ComicCon this year, if I can squeeze it in to my schedule. I’m hoping I will get there, because obviously I have two very big films coming out this year [The Hobbit: There and Back Again and Dracula Untold], and I do love the conventions. Honestly it’s just timing – but definitely I will try to make some of the big ones if I can.
GD: Well we know you’re a busy man! And we’re very much looking forward to seeing everything that you have coming up; but particularly of course the final part of The Hobbit, and finding out just what you do with that black arrow…
LE: [laughs] Exactly!
* * * * *
Later this week we’ll be bringing you exclusive interviews with Richard Armitage and with Peter Hambleton, to help pass the time until you can bring home your copy of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Stay tuned!
As you can see in our exclusive "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" Blu-ray clip above, Bard the Bowman is one heck of a character.
And as we found out in our POPsessions interview below, so is the man who plays Bard: Luke Evans.
Evans phoned in to promote next week's home-video release of the middle "Hobbit" film, and we took the opportunity to find out the Welsh actor's pop-culture likes and dislikes. And what an unexpected journey he took us upon...
What was the first movie you remember seeing? Luke Evans: I'm trying to remember. "Bambi." I think it was quite tragic, it was very sad. Yeah. I also remember Thumper and I remember getting a rabbit, which I named Thumper after that.
What movie do you absolutely always stop and watch if you see it on cable? "Shawshank Redemption." Because it's awesome. It's an amazing, brilliant film and I mean it just was an all-time best movie.
[Related: See all of Yahoo Entertainment's POPsessions Interviews]
Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.' (New Line Cinema) What movie makes you cry? I know there's lots of movies that make me cry. I remember the first movie that ever did make me cry. It was on the television and I must have been about 13, I think. It was "The Elephant Man." I remember it shocking me that humans could be so cruel. It was such a brilliant portrayal of such a tragic figure. I've never forgotten that. I got to work with John [Hurt] a few years ago in "Immortals" and I remember just sitting with him and chatting about that role and that character. It's amazing.
What did he say about it? Well, that it was incredibly hard going. That was prosthetics before prosthetics became what they are today. It was incredibly hot, he said. And creating the voice of the character and all that. It was really interesting to listen to him talk about it.
What movie or TV character would you hate to be trapped in an elevator with? Probably that dude from "The Big Bang Theory," the know-it-all, Sheldon. I think I'd probably kill him.
If you were kidnapped, what movie or TV character would you call to save you? Bruce Willis in "Die Hard." Because he's invincible. The man, he's a hero. He'll save you. Definitely Bruce, definitely.
What's your TV guilty pleasure? Ah, TV guilty pleasure would be "Family Guy." I can watch a whole season in one night.
What was your first concert? My first concert was. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, OMD. I remember being in the crowd ... and I'd never actually been in a room or an arena with that amount of people all there for the same reason. And ever since, going to a concert, whatever it is, it's always an overwhelming, powerful, electric experience, knowing that every single person in that room, counting at 20-, 30,000 people, they are there just to watch sometimes one person singing on stage. It's electrifying. I've always loved it. I love live stuff. I see as much as I can.
Do you have aspirations of being a rock star? No more than the next person.
What about being a karaoke star? What's your karaoke song? Um, my karaoke song would probably be Queen, [Singing] "Tonight I'm going to have myself a real good time..." What's that one? "Don't Stop Me Now!"
The Beatles or Rolling Stones? The Rolling Stones. Just because, I don't know why. I like them. I like their rebellious nature and they're still going as a band and they seem to still be as crazy as ever and the music is brilliant.
What song should they play at your funeral? "Another One Bites the Dust."
Have you ever done a choreographed dance from a music video? Yes, "Macarena." No, that's not a video, is it? Yeah. It probably was at one point.
Did you lead? No, no, I hid well in the back, actually.
What book changed your life? I don't think any book has changed my life. I think one book did sort of change my perception of what I believe in. I didn't realize it had until I chatted with somebody else who read the same book and had a completely different vision of what they'd read and what impact it had had on them. And that was the "Life of Pi."
I remember reading it because doesn't it say something in the beginning of that film, or that book, that says this story will make you believe in God, or not make you believe, or something. It's about faith. It's about what you'd like to believe in and does it actually mean that it's true. ... It made me think differently about what I believe in and what I don't.
Lee Evans as Bard the Bowman in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.' (New Line Cinema's)
Who is the most random person you follow on Twitter? You know, I only follow people that I meet. And they usually go, "Oh, follow me on Twitter," and I'm like, "OK." I don't follow anybody. I really don't. Who did I follow recently? I dined with Kim Cattrall and so I now follow Kim Cattrall. She is new to Twitter and I think she started following a fan of mine instead of me for a while. Bless her.
I hope that fan was a good Tweeter. I think the fan did say something very lovely like, "You're following me but I think you need to be following the real Luke Evans." Very honest of him, I thought.
[Related: 'Lego The Hobbit' Trailer Turns Middle-Earth Into 'Ocean's Eleven']
For somebody impersonating you, yes. Has another celebrity every made you star-struck when you met them? Yeah. Quite often. It's so weird when you meet somebody that you know their face so well and then you actually meet them. It's quite weird, surreal. But then often you realize they're just normal people and they're not that weird. It's a strange thing.
I remember the first one was probably meeting Liam Neeson, because it was the first time I'd been on a film set. He was playing Zeus, my father [in "Clash of the Titans"], and I had to have a scene with him. And I remember, as much as I wanted to enjoy the day, I couldn't wait for the day to be over so I could pick up my phone and call my folks and tell them who I'd been working with all day. You know? I remember that being a very cool day. And he's a very nice man as well. So that was nice.
You wouldn't want him to save you from an stuck elevator? Actually, Liam's next on the list. Liam is my speed dial No. 2.
What did your parents say when you told them you were working with Liam Neeson all day? They were happy. They giggled and were like, 'Wow.' It's a very strange world, this world I live in right now, the film industry. It's just crazy who you meet and the people you get to work with. It's crazy.
With Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug arriving on Blu-ray tomorrow, I recently landed an exclusive interview with Luke Evans (he plays Bard the Bowman). As most of you know, the film continues the adventures of Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the band of dwarves as they move forward on their quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, all the while Gandalf (Ian McKellen) investigates a disturbing presence that may be returning to Middle Earth. Smaug introduces a host of other new characters like the Master of Lake-town (Stephen Fry), and the elves Thranduil (Lee Pace) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lily), but the film also sees the return of Lord of the Rings favorite Legolas (Orlando Bloom).
During the interview Evans talked about his experiences being part of The Hobbit movies, deleted scenes, doing additional photography for the Battle of the Five Armies (which takes place in The Hobbit: There and Back Again), having young fans recognize him, and more. Evans also talked about Dracula: Untold, The Crow remake, his thoughts on an Immortals sequel, wanting to direct, and what props he’s kept. Hit the jump for what he had to say.
the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-blu-rayCollider: How are you doing today, sir?
LUKE EVANS: I’m good. What are you doing in Vegas?
I was here for CinemaCon.
EVANS: Oh, right, nice. Did you see anything from The Hobbit or Dracula?
They didn’t show anything from Dracula, but I did see a few brief clips from the third Hobbit movie, There and Back Again. Obviously I love the Hobbit movies and the footage we saw looked great. I mean, it’s Peter Jackson.
EVANS: Yeah, awesome.
Talk a little bit about what this experience has been like being a part of The Hobbit?
EVANS: It’s interesting, It’s quite an organic journey I’ve been on with The Hobbit, because obviously I wasn’t in the first film. I watched from a distance as everybody else, enjoyed the premiere, and watched the characters being taken in by the fans and all that. But then obviously when the second film came out that was very exciting because I got to see, as well as the rest of the world, Bard the Bowman come to life. It’s been really lovely watching and reading the positive reception around the world, and different fans all really enjoying Bard and liking his story and liking me playing him. So it’s been a positive experience so far.
What was the first time a kid or a young fan came up to you and recognized you and sort of had that freak out moment? Or has that not happened to you?
EVANS: It happens to me almost every day now [laughs]. It was very weird because for a long a time no one really recognized me from my films, but The Hobbit has totally changed that and I’ve had some really special moments, especially with youngsters. I took my grandparents to this mine in South Whales a couple of months ago. It’s a mine that you go underground, it’s like a museum, it’s really cool. In the parking lot there were these two little girls, one was ten and one was eight, and I didn’t even notice them with their parents. After the tour we went to the café and then we left the café and the little girls mum came running out. She says, “Look, I hope you don’t mind, but my daughter thinks you’re the character from The Hobbit and I know you’re not, but would you just pretend that you are for a second, because she’s obsessed and she thinks it’s you and she followed you into this café.” And I was like, “I am Bard the Bowman,” and she couldn’t believe it. She went, “Please come and meet my daughter.” So I went back into this café and this little kid, she couldn’t quite believe it, but she said, “I told you it was him! I knew it was him!” Stories like that are really special and really nice.
hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-luke-evansThat’s awesome. I’ve spoken to a lot of the people who’ve been in Marvel movies and they say that the real thrill is meeting kids and having them just freak out.
EVANS: Yeah, it’s weird. It’s this strange thing though, because it’s such a small thing you have to do. The effect you have sometimes when you meet the fans, it’s weird. It’s surreal, but it’s lovely. You can put a smile on their face and that’s always nice.
I’m definitely curious with the second film, do you know if there’s a longer cut that has more of your footage in it?
EVANS: You know what, I don’t know, but if Lord of the Rings is anything to go by, I’m sure there probably will be at some point an extended version, a director’s cut and all of that to come out as the time goes by. I’m quite sure that three will be extra scenes that Bard is in that you’ll see, definitely, yeah.
I’m so anticipating the final Hobbit installment. I know they did some additional photography last year. Did you do any of that additional photography? Or what can you tease people about the last Hobbit installment?
EVANS: Well yes, I did do lots of filming when I went back. I actually worked incredibly hard in that pickup session, which took about a month and bit. It was epic, we were finishing little bits and scenes for the second film, but the majority of the time I spent back in New Zealand was to shoot the third movie and obviously we have the big Battle of the Five Armies and all that stuff. So there’s a huge amount happening in the third film, which I’m not allowed to talk very much about because I’ll be talking about it again in December and I don’t want to spoil it for people, but it’s going to be huge. It’s going to have a massive ending.
hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-peter-jackson-luke-evansI spoke to Joe Letteri, your VFX guy, and he was saying that the Battle of Five Armies was the big thing for additional photography and he said it was going to be magnificent.
EVANS: Yeah, I think Peter wants it to be a spectacle of enormous proportions.
I spoke to Mark Canton the producer of Immortals during the 300: Rise of an Empire junket and he mentioned that they’re actually trying to develop an Immortals sequel. Has he said anything about that to you?
EVANS: No, that’s news to me.
He definitely said it to me on camera.
EVANS: As long as I don’t have to wear a gold skirt again, I’ll maybe think about it [laughs].
[Laughs] That’s good. One of the other things I’m really looking forward to that you’ve finished filming is Dracula: Untold. What can you tease people about the project?
EVANS: Well it’s huge, again. It’s a massive, sweeping story about the man behind a fictional character. We start in the 1400′s and It’s about this character, this historical figure Vlad Tepes who was a king and a leader, an immense warrior, he had the love and respect of his people, and it’s about him as much as it’s about his transformation and what makes him turn into this creature of the night, this vampire. It’s an origin story, if you will. It’s a huge story. There’s a massive amount of emotional thread and it has all the elements you’d want from a sweeping drama about a time long gone.
For that project or anything recently, has there been a new skill set you’ve added to the repertoire, if you will? In terms of doing the action set pieces or just in general.
hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-luke-evans-3EVANS: Yeah, well there’s lot of skill sets. Fighting is always a new one, because every film, every fight choreographer, wants to have a different flair, have a different fight technique. So any film I’ve done that involved weapons has always been fascinating because everyone is different. The fight sequences I did on Dracula are enormous, they’re absolutely enormous. There are points where I was fighting literally hundreds of people and they were all there, hundreds of stunt men. Same thing with The Hobbit in the third installment. There is this huge battle of five armies and I play such an integral role in that physically, it was incredibly demanding. That stuff is always really enjoyable to do.
I put on Twitter that I was going to be talking to you and I cannot even explain how many people wanted me to ask about The Crow. Is that still going on? Can you talk a little bit about hat?
EVANS: Yeah, I can’t talk a huge amount about it because it’s all sort of quite top secret, but yes it is. We’re moving forward. It’s a big movie and it takes a lot to get everything in order. It’s getting the schedules together. But yeah, the wheels are moving forward and we plan to make that soon.
That’s what I wanted to ask you about, do you know what your schedule is like for this upcoming year? What are you getting ready to film this year.
EVANS: Well The Crow is obviously there. I have to work that and there’s a few independent films which I am in the process of attaching myself to. One is a romantic film, very tragic romance, which is beautiful. It comes from a very famous novel, which I’m really excited about. I’m hoping to do that, it’s something I’m really passionate about. Then I’m trying to sort out a short film that I’m writing with a friend of mine, which I would like to direct for my own self, really. I’d like to do that. Then obviously I start the publicity tour for Dracula and then straight after that I’ll be starting the publicity tour for The Hobbit, so it’s quite a busy year.
hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-luke-evans-2You know, I forget about that and I think a lot of people forget that those publicity tours are huge and all encompassing and around the planet.
EVANS: Oh yeah, you can’t really do anything else when you’re doing those. Weirdly I will be doing two at the end of the year which overlap with both the press tours. I’ll be stopping a film and doing the press tour, and then going back to the film and starting another one, stopping for The Hobbit and then going back to it in 2015. You just have to work around it. Most of the time people understand you have to do it. It’s part of the job. People want to hear your stories about these wonderful experiences you have and that’s what press tours are for.
If I can ask you about directing, is that something that you’ve been passionate for a long time? And regarding a short film, some shorts are 3-5 minutes, some are 15-30, what are you envisioning for your short film?
EVANS: I think it’ll probably end up being about a 20-minute film, I’d say. I’m not exactly sure because we haven’t totally finished the script yet, but I’m writing something with the guy who wrote The Great Train Robbery with me; I did a movie for BBC at the end of last year called The Great Train Robbery and it was great, we really enjoyed it. Directing is something I’ve sort of always felt like I’d like to do at one point and I thought the best way to start it is to write something myself or with someone and I’d go from there. My own material. So yeah, that’s where I am with it right now.
It’s interesting, I just talked to Chris Evans and he just directed his first feature and it’s something that he’s very passionate about as well.
EVANS: Yeah, I know Alice, she’s lovely. I think some actors just would like to do it. I guess once you’ve been acting for a long time you glean the great bits of good directors and the bad bits from other directors and you know the way that you would like to be directed. Sometimes some great directors were formerly—look at Clint Eastwood, for example. There’s a lot of directors who were actors, so they have the sensibility of an actor, which sometimes helps.
What have you gleaned from the great directors you’ve worked with that you’d like to apply towards your directing career? Is there one things you’ve always noticed with great directors?
EVANS: I think the best directors rarely loose their temper. I think the best directors provide you with a safe environment where they can instill you with confidence and allow you to try things out and not feel like your failing or that you’re doing it wrong. Every option that you give the director, he makes you feel like that’s a valid option and they can bank that and try different ways. Peter Jackson is a brilliant example of a director who never makes you feel like you’ve done it wrong, he just makes you feel like you’ve given him a different option and then to try it some other way. I think that’s the thing, because that doesn’t make an actor feel insecure, it makes him feel confident, so that’s a good thing. So yeah, that’s probably one of the biggest things I’ve noticed in good directors is they make you feel good and not bad about what you choose to do.
My last thing, and I’ve asked this of a lot of people, is there anything that you collect?
EVANS: Weirdly, I’ve been collecting my weapons [laughs] from the big movies I’ve done that had a weapon that was synonymous with my character. So I’ve been keeping the swords basically from the different films I’ve been doing. So yeah, I have a little armory in my house nowadays.
I think you are now the envy of so many people who are Hobbit fans and Dracula and all that stuff.
EVANS: [Laughs] Well once the third one comes out, I’ll tweet a few pictures of the weapon that I was gifted from Weta and Peter and the team down in New Zealand, which I can’t yet because nobody knows about it, but it’s very special.
Luke Evans misses out on romance in Hobbit As the stoic Bard the Bowman, Luke Evans admits he's playing Middle Earth's most eligible bachelor.
Just don't expect his romantic fortunes to improve in The Hobbit's third instalment - he's kind of busy.
"He's incredibly eligible," the Welsh actor sighs.
"But he becomes the leader of the human army, and he's got a big job ahead of him in the third one."
"But I do hope he finds a good woman."
As the gruff yet honourable Bard, Evans joined the franchise in last December's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug when Thorin Oakenshield's company of dwarves (and one Bilbo Baggins) ventured to the floating city of Laketown.
Evans largely shot scenes with his colleagues on the Laketown set, an enormous Dickensian-style Venice of wooden huts floating above murky waters.
For many reviewers, the grimy landscape was a welcome change from the usual lofty elvish digs.
"The set was humungous," Evan says. "It filled the King Kong stage in Wellington, which is the largest soundstage in the southern hemisphere."
"It was meant to look different - rickety and sinking."
For many Middle Earth fans, Peter Jackson's behind-the-scenes magic is just as captivating as Tolkien's writing, and is detailed in intimate DVD extras.
Ahead of the second film's DVD and Blu-Ray release on April 9, Evans says he was inspired to pursue a career in entertaining by similarly epic tales like Steven Spielberg's 1987 Empire of the Sun (starring another Welsh star, Christian Bale).
But with a background in musical theatre, Evans confesses he never really dreamt of being onscreen, yet has nevertheless found himself in big-budget productions such as Clash of the Titans, The Three Musketeers and a spin-off of The Lord of the Rings.
It's a career trajectory Evans says has been made possible by other "crossover" stars such as Hugh Jackman.
"I can only look at that man and admire his ability to do all the different forms of acting," he says.
"There are similarities, and I'm very happy there are."
Less glamorous than the West End were the pungent days he spent filming scenes that involved hiding the dwarves in barrels of fish.
So did he mind being director Peter Jackson's resident fishmonger?
"Oh yeah, it was very smelly," he recalls. "On the fish days there were not very nice aromas floating around."
Evans also recalls the production churning through about 60 tonnes of Epsom salts to give Laketown a wintry blanket of snow: "I was finding Epsom salts everywhere for like a month afterwards."
And with the hotly anticipated third Hobbit film wrapped ahead of its December release, it would be fair to assume Evans got to take home the Bard's Black Arrow, the only weapon known to be able to pierce Smaug's scaled hide.
"The Black Arrow is like two metres, it's about as tall as me," he laughs.
"So probably not a good one to try to get through Customs."
* The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is out on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 9.
Does Luke Evans Miss Acting on Stage? Making his film debut in 2010’s Clash of the Titans, Evans actually started his career on stage. When asked if it was difficult to make the transition, the Bowman replied,
"Well it was quite difficult because I hadn’t really had any formal training it was all theatre. So I was learning on the job really and my first job was Clash of the Titans so it was a moment I’ll never forget because I was working opposite Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. And it was me watching and learning on the spot – I didn’t understand the jargon or anything like that. So I just had to trust my instincts and learn. And I’m still watching and learning today."
Then, when asked his preference, stage or screen?
"I don’t have a preferences. I think if you’ve had a career in theatre I don’t think you can ever let it go, it will always be a part of you. I do feel like I’m itching to do something on stage again sooner rather than later. But I don’t think I have a favourite because they’re both so very different and they’re both rewarding in different ways. One is instantaneous and one you have to wait a little longer before you find out whether people like it or not!"
Luke Evans Talks Bard The Bowman in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' | EXCLUSIVE
Travel to Middle Earth and discover that art of archery and what it's like to work alongside Peter Jackson, available on Blu-ray and DVD April 8th
Apr 8, 2014 by Brian Gallagher In just four short years, Luke Evans has risen through the acting ranks in rapid succession, going from smaller roles in Clash of the Titans and Robin Hood to much bigger parts in The Three Musketeers, Immortals and The Raven. Following roles in No One Lives and Fast & Furious 6, the actor capped off a stellar 2013 by playing Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which arrives on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD April 8. I recently had the chance to speak with this talented actor about taking on this coveted role, the archery training he had to go through to play Bard the Bowman, working with director Peter Jackson, while giving us updates on upcoming projects such as Dracula Untold and The Crow. Take a look at what he had to say in our exclusive interview below.
First off, did you read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings books when you were growing up in Wales?
Luke Evans: No, I didn't read The Lord of the Rings books. They were too big for me, I'm a slow reader, but I watched the films and I thought they were fantastic. I was in theater when the first one came out, and I remember going to a midnight show of the film. They've always been some of my favorite films ever, and I watched them again just recently, and they do stand the test of time. A lot of films from that time don't. They've aged very quickly, but The Lord of the Rings hasn't. It's quite interesting, which is a testament to the story and the filmmaker and the performances. The Hobbit, I did read when I was a teenager, much smaller, you see, not so scary to pick up and read. I read it again when I got the job.
Can you talk about the archery training you went through to play Bard when you signed on?
Luke Evans: Yeah, I did a lot of training and I went to New Zealand with the amazing stunt team from The Lord of the Rings, so it was a big sort of reunion for a lot of them. It was great. It was a long bow as well, which is a hard bow to shoot an arrow from, but yeah, it was all a big learning curve.
I read this was the first film you've done where you got to use your natural Welsh accent. Was that something you anticipated happening when you first signed on?
Luke Evans: By the time I signed on, yes, that had already been sorted out. It was actually asked of me, when I went to my second audition, my final audition, to use my Welsh accent on a tape and on an interview online, and they quite liked it and thought it might be a potential accent for Bard and his family. That's why I did the audition tape in a Welsh accent, which was quite weird because I hadn't used in it forever, really, at least on film anyway. They liked it and that's now Bard's accent's and his kids' accents and any descendants from Dale who live in Laketown, they all have Welsh accents as well.
You're obviously no stranger to these types of action films after Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and Immortals. Was there anything in particular about Peter Jackson's set that really struck a chord with you?
Luke Evans: Just the expanse of it. For starters, it's a humongous set. Also, Peter and the team there are very warm people. The New Zealander's are a great bunch. They work very well as a team, they're very warm when you arrive and they provide quite a nice atmosphere on set. There's never any sort of aggression or animosity. They won't stand for any of that. Everyone is a team player, from the top to the bottom. It was a very warm and enjoyable experience going to work.
This Blu-ray set has quite a massive making-of documentary. Were there always these behind-the-scenes guys on the set when you were shooting?
Luke Evans: Yeah, and when we weren't shooting as well. They were constantly there. I think you could watch all of that footage and it would take a year of your life, they shot so much.
Can you talk about the way Peter handles himself or the way he works on the set that is different from anyone else you've worked with?
Luke Evans: I think Peter is the happiest when he's on set. He's a director who seems to be completely comfortable when he's in his tent and he's got his microphones and we're on the side of a mountain or next to a river. He is just having a lot of fun and he enjoys what he does. It's quite contagious, as a director, the captain of the ship, enjoying the job. You enjoy the job as much as he does. It's a lovely thing and really enjoyable to watch. And, why shouldn't he enjoy it? He's creating from a piece of literary history and bringing it to life. I'm just lucky and excited to be doing it with him.
I believe the second and the third movie (The Hobbit: There and Back Again) were essentially shot back-to-back. Did you go straight from working on the second to the third, or were they all mixed in together?
Luke Evans: We would often jump from one to the other, but we didn't really know where they were going to make the cut, so we just treated it as one long story, to be honest with you. The cuts were decided upon way after the actors had left New Zealand, and that was done by Peter and the team there. As with all films I've done, and it's just part of the job, the challenge is to jump from one moment right back to the beginning. There's a scene where they're in Rivendell, and apparently, that set was at the beginning of the first film, and it was right at the end of the final one. They had to do the beginning of the first ever Lord of the Rings and do the final scene of the final third installment, after they did that whole journey. Can you imagine what that must have been like? (Laughs) That set had to be taken down, dismantled, and something else would often be built in its place. That was often the case on The Hobbit as well. There was so much going on, and there are certain things we had to shoot out of sequence, but that's part of the job.
Is there anything you can say about Dracula Untold? I've been told this version is much different that previous iterations. Do you know when we might see the first trailer?
Luke Evans: You're going to see the first trailer on the back of Godzilla. I maybe should not have told you that, I don't know. I think that's the plan. Don't hold me to that, but I think that's the plan. It's coming together very, very well. It's a huge film. It's a big, sweeping story line, you know. It's got everything you'd expect from a historical re-telling of the most famous vampire that ever lived, but what it does to distinguish itself from all the other stories about Dracula, is this is the origin story, so we focus quite heavily on the historical figure, which is Vlad the Impaler, or Vlad Tepes, as I like to call him. When you call him Vlad the Impaler, everybody just assumes that's all he did every day, to impale loads of people in the forest on spikes. Yes, he did do that, but this man was also known in the history books as a very successful leader and a man who ruled over a very peaceful nation for a very long time. He was also a family man. He raised his child and loved his wife dearly and people loved him dearly too. We're bringing that element of the historical figure to light, and we want people to understand more of the human story. Then, when we get the human story up and running, that's when you realize there are things he has to sacrifice and decisions he makes, which allows us to merge the fictional story that Bram Stoker created, into the historical figure that is Vlad the Impaler. It's a really interesting story, and it's full of action. He was a warrior and there are some incredible fight sequences. As you can imagine, the special effects are off the scale. It's very exciting. I'm very, very excited about seeing it.
Is there anything you can say about The Crow? Do you start shooting that soon?
Luke Evans: Yeah, we're just finalizing everything at the moment. It's a big movie so, again, these things take a while to get up and running, but yeah, it's all in the books. We plan to start shooting that soon, actually, yeah.
I've been reading that this version will be more faithful to the comic book. Are there specific aspects that you want to bring to light in this new film?
Luke Evans: I can't really talk too much about what we're bringing to the film, that wasn't done in the first one. All I want to say is that it will be incredibly loyal to the graphic novel. If anybody knows the graphic novel, you'll know there was a lot that wasn't in the original film, so that's what they're trying to bring back, as respectfully as we can, so we don't tread on anybody's feet and disrespect the original film.
Is there anything you'd like to say to someone who didn't get to see {FI3d5444mzo253|+|The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in theaters about why they should check it out on Blu-ray and DVD?
Luke Evans: Well, it's a fantastic story. It's the middle of a very brilliant story and, with the DVD and the Blu-ray has all the special extras that were put on that, you can really get a feel for the experience that we had. It was just an epic moment in my life, and if you haven't seen the film, I'd go and see it, because it will make you want to see the third one in the cinema, absolutely, without a doubt.
That's my time. Thanks so much, Luke. It was a pleasure.
Luke Evans: No worries. Bye bye.
Check out Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman when The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug debuts on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD April 8.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was released December 13th, 2013 and stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter. The film is directed by Peter Jackson.
Спасибо сайту Хеннет Аннун за перевод интервью с Люком
Люк Эванс признается, что играя стоического Барда-лучника, он играет самого востребованного холостяка Средиземья. Правда, не следует ждать, что его удача в романтическом плане повернется к лучшему в третьем фильме: там он немного занят.
- Он невероятно востребован, – вздыхает актер из Уэльса. – Но он становится лидером огромной армии людей и в третьем фильме ему предстоит большая работа. Тем не менее, я надеюсь, что ему повезет найти себе хорошую женщину.
Эванс впервые появился в роли сурового, но уважаемого Барда в “Хоббите: Пустоши Смауга”, вышедшей в прошлом декабре. Торин и его Компания натыкаются на него по пути в Озерный Город, стоящий на сваях посреди озера. Эванс в основном снимался со своими коллегами в декорациях Озерного города – огромной Венеции в диккенсовском стиле, состоящей из деревянных хижин на мутной воде. Для многих зрителей этот угрюмый ландшафт был приятным разнообразием после дивных эльфийских обиталищ.
- Декорации были просто огромными, – рассказывает Эванс. – Они занимали весь павильон “Кинг Конга” в Веллингтоне – самый большой съемочный павильон в южном полушарии. Город должен был выглядеть альтернативным: будто он обветшал и погружается под воду. Для многих фанатов Средиземья то, что ПиДжей творит за камерой, почти так же волшебно, как тексты Толкина. Доп. материалы на DVD дают подробный взгляд на это действо. В интервью, которое Эванс дал к выходу DVD/BluRay второго фильма, он поведал, что на его решение идти в развлекательную индустрию повлияли другие масштабные эпосы – например, “Империя солнца” (1987) Стивена Спилберга, где снимался еще один уэльский актер, Кристиан Бэйл. Но так как его основное ремесло – театральные мюзиклы, Эванс никогда не мечтал о карьере в кино. Тем не менее, он окзался в таких высокобюджетных проктах, как “Битва Титанов″, “Три мушкетера”, а также в приквеле “Властелина Колец”.
По словам Эванса, этот поворот в карьере стал возможен благодаря другим звездам, которым удалось перейти из одного жанра в другой – особенно же Хью Джекману:
- Я смотрю на этого человека и просто восхищаюсь его способности к разным методам актерской игры. Между нами есть общие черты, чему я очень рад.
Однако, съемки были гораздо менее гламурными, чем театральная жизнь в лондонском Вест-Энде. Особенно в сцене, где нужно было спрятать ораву гномов в бочках с рыбой. Как он отнесся к тому, чтобы стать рыбником для Питера Джексона?
- О да, рыба очень воняла, – вспоминает Эванс. – В рыбный день ароматы на съемках были не самыми приятными!
Также Эванс вспоминает о том, как съемочная группа использовала 60 тонн эпсомской соли, чтобы симулировать заснеженный Озерный город:
- Еще месяц спустя я повсюду натыкался на эту эпсомскую соль.
После окончания съемок к фильму, третья часть которого выйдет в декабре 2014 года, можно было бы предположить, что актеру в подарок на память досталась та самая Черная стрела – единственное оружие, способное пронзить чешуйчатую шкуру Смауга?
- Черная стрела длиной около двух метров, почти с меня, – смеется он. – Возможно, это не лучший вариант, чтобы везти через таможню.
Мы это интервью уже выложили вчера. Со ссылкой на переводчика и ресурс. Оно на главной. А еще у нас есть интервью, переведенные специально для сайта. Спасибо Эльвире Адетовой.
«Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» вышел в форматах 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray и DVD 17 апреля новый фильм производства New Line Cinema и Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures – «Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» – вышел в форматах 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray и DVD. «Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» – второй фильм трилогии по мотивам мирового шедевра «Хоббит». Над фильмом работали лауреат премии Оскар, режиссер и продюсер Питер Джексон, а также продюсеры Кэролинн Каннингэм, Зейн Уэйнер и Фрэн Уолш.
«Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» вышел в форматах 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray и DVD
Иэн МакКеллен вернулся на экраны в роли Гэндальфа Сергого, Мартин Фриман сыграл главную роль хоббита Бильбо Бэггинса, а Ричард Армитедж – гнома Торина Дубощита. К актерскому ансамблю присоединились Бенедикт Камбербэтч, Эванджелин Лилли, Ли Пейс, Люк Эванс, Стивен Фрай, Кен Стотт, Джеймс Несбитт и Орландо Блум в роли Леголаса. В фильме также снимались Микаэл Персбрандт, Сильвестр МакКой, Эйдан Тернер, Дин О’Горман, Грэм МакТавиш, Адам Браун, Питер Хэмблтон, Джон Коллен, Марк Хэдлоу, Джед Брофи, Уильям Кирчер, Стивен Хантер, Райан Гэйдж, Джон Белл, Ману Беннетт и Лоуренс Макор.
«Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» вышел в форматах 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray и DVD
«Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» доступен в следующих изданиях:
3D Blu-Ray в стандартной упаковке (1099 рублей) 3D Blu-Ray в железном боксе (1499 рублей) Blu-Ray с сувенирами (1599 рублей) Blu-Ray с цифровой копией в подарок (699 рублей) DVD с коллекционной карточкой в подарок (399 рублей) «Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» вышел в форматах 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray и DVD
3D Blu-Ray издание в стандартной упаковке включает стерео обложку, фильм в формате 3D Blu-Ray на двух дисках, фильм в формате Blu-Ray на одном диске, бонус диск с дополнительными материалами. 3D Blu-Ray издание в железном боксе включает фильм в формате 3D Blu-Ray на двух дисках, фильм в формате Blu-Ray на одном диске, бонус диск с дополнительными материалами. Blu-Ray издание с сувенирами включает фильм в формате Blu-Ray на одном диске, бонус диск с дополнительными материалами, сувениры: ручка, закладка, коллекционные открытки. Blu-Ray издание с цифровой копией в подарок включает фильм в формате Blu-Ray на одном диске, бонус диск с дополнительными материалами и код доступа к цифровой копии фильма в Full HD или 3D формате. DVD включает фильм и дополнительные материалы на двух DVD дисках и коллекционную открытку в подарок.
«Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» вышел в форматах 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray и DVD
«Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» в изданиях 3D Blu-Ray в стандартной упаковке, 3D Blu-Ray в железном боксе, Blu-Ray с сувенирами, Blu-Ray с цифровой копией в подарок и DVD включает следующие дополнительные материалы:
Питер Джексон приглашает вас в съемочный павильон О производстве Новая Зеландия: место Средиземья, Часть 2 Музыкальный клип «I see fire» Издание «Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» Blu-Ray содержит информационный купон с кодом доступа к цифровой копии. После активации кода и сохранения фильма в онлайн-кинотеатре Play, цифровая копия «Хоббит: Пустошь Смауга» в формате Full HD и 3D будет доступна на любом устройстве без ограничений по количеству просмотров.
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