P.J.'s choice for Elrond
 

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that P.J. could have found a better Elrond? Don't get me wrong, Hugo was a good Elrond what with the commanding voice and all; but looks-wise, he just doesn't have the right look. When I think of how an elf should look, no matter how old they are, I picture them to always have a sort of youthful, attractive appearance to them. Hugo just doesn't have that impression to me.

I agree. Partly because of the fact that he played a bad guy in the Matrix, and partly, I think just the way his eyebrows point, makes him look evil. For an actor, it is bad to be typecasted, but Hugo just looks evil, Elrond is not evil. Maybe PJ had something against powerfull elves, Galadriel looked pretty evil too!

Both Ian Holm (Bilbo) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf) have played bad guys before, but people always seem to forget that. Why is it so terrible that Hugo Weaving played a bad guy?<P>I personally think that Hugo is just right for the part. Elrond is one of my favourite characters and I think PJ found the right guy for the job.<p>[ December 13, 2002: Message edited by: Maikadilwen ]

If you think that Elrond looks evil you must be partly blind. (forgive me the expression)<P>Elrond looks serious and ageless. He is a perfect elf. He could be 40 50 or 30. Who would know? <P>So if you want to get to Hugo you must get to me. Hugo is perfect as an elf and altough he is but 40 you see in his forhead and eyebrows great wisedom. (this may look like kissing up nut it is not.)<p>[ December 13, 2002: Message edited by: Helkahothion ]
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I like Hugo/Elrond. Yes he's kind of ugly, but it's GOOD ugly! I personally can't get enough of him. I love the younger look he has at the alliance of elves and men battle. I have never seen the Matrix, so this probably helps. All elves do not have to look "model pretty"! That wouldn't be right either!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I have never seen the Matrix, so this probably helps. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>That does not matter because I have seen The Matrix for 3 times before I saw lotr:fotr and I did not even see that Elrond and the Agent where the same person.<P>THank you for backing me and my friend up.
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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Yes he's kind of ugly, but it's GOOD ugly! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Ugly? How can you say that? The guy is <B>gorgeous!</B>

It's a matter of taste, and arguing about such matters is about as productive as what they do in the U.N.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>perfect elf<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>rather b[o][a]ld though... <p>[ December 13, 2002: Message edited by: HerenIstarion ]

My sister doesn't know much about LOTR, but when she saw Hugo in one of the behind the scenes in the extended DVD, she thought he looked most definately like an elf. I believe Elrond is one of her fav characters.<BR>I think Hugo must have done pretty well in his role to allow a Non-Tolkien fan like my sister to appreciate more minor characters such as Elrond.

Minor....*ack*...character...*choke*...???<P>NO character is a "minor character" in Tolkien's works! Look at Beregond!<P><I>An</I>ywho, I thought Hugo was perfect. I saw <I>The Matrix</I> about 30 times on TNT, but I still think of him as "Elrond" rather than "the Agent". Go Hugo!<P>"He is not coming back." ~my buddy Elrond

I think Hugo played the character very well but I didn't think he had the right look though. I don't know, he just wasn't the same as I had imagined him. But PJ did great with all the other parts.

I just thought HW was more mean than Elrond in the books. *sigh* But, it's probably just MY opinion, and PJ probably told him to act that way!

I like his eyebrows and think they make him look very Elven. He also doesn't have to look totally-smooth-skinned-just-turned-twenty to have the "looks" for an Elf. I think they could have done something about tht receding hairline, though. It would have taken years off of his appearence.<P>My favorite shot of him is when he is saying "No, Master Gamgee, it hardly seems possible to separate you, especially when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Did I detect a hint of a smile??? He needed to lighten up like that more, IMHO.

I liked Elrond a lot (even though I had seen the Matrix). I think the word for the way he looked is stern - not unjust or evil or anything like that, but like someone who's seen a lot of terrible and misguided things in the course of his very long life (3,000 years is a long time to be thinking "Wasn't there *any* way I could have gotten him to throw the #$)*& Ring in?").

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> NO character is a "minor character" in Tolkien's works! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>As I said before, my sister is not a Tolkien fan and has only seen the movie. Compared to the roles of the fellowship of the ring and considering that Elrond is in only 30 min of the movie FOTR, he is not considered as a major character. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a major role.<BR>Usually when I ask someone who their fav character is, it is someone from the fellowship, but my sister really seemed to like Elrond (though she also liked Frodo a bunch, too).

Elrond did have the blood of Men in him so for him to have a receding hairline is does fit into the movie. Hugo was a stellar Elrond.

I saw him in the matrix and the more I see him, the more I get confused on what he is; an elf or an agent. Besides that, Hugo looks like a fish. It's either his eyes or his eyebrows, but when i see him, it looks like his eyes are on the side of head, like a fish. And I really notice it when he was shown healing Frodo in the hazy images. But all in all, he does a good Elrond. I don't know why, but when I watch the movie I don't care that much.

I heard that David Bowie desperately wanted the role, but that P.J. thought he would be "too recognizable." Just his bad luck that the Matrix was such a hit, huh?<P>Personally, I thought he did a decent job, although his hairline did bug me a little, and he seemed a little mean in lines like "I was there when the strength of men failed" However, I thought he did a good job of distancing himself from Agent Smith. For the most part. Since he's Aussie, you can sort of tell that he's making an effort to "speak correctly," and, unfortunately, I detected a little of the Agent Smith character whenever he had a line that he really needed to suppress his accent for.<P>On another subject, what would you have thought of David Bowie as Elrond?

Anyone seen Pricilla: Queen of the Desert? Hugo is in that and he dresses as a drag queen! Elrond in a dress and make-up! Hugo didn't look like the Elrond I imagined from the books, but I think he is a fine actor.

Bowie would have thrown me for a loop! I have seen him too many times, He is Ziggy Stardust, a Diamond dog, Mr sophisto cool cat, Mr Iman, Davy Jones, etc. No, I'm with PJ, though he would have been great, he is too much of a rock icon! I had that problem withh Iggy Pop in that movie "Crybaby". I just kept being dazzeled by "IGGY!", and would forget the movie! I love Hugo-Elrond, When I said "good-Ugly" I meant the bulging forehead with the vien popping out! But I love him! I love the way he talks! I look forward to seeing him more, who knows what we'll think after more Elrond scenes in TTT!

Odd. I thought most people were anti-Hugo, but now it seems everyon's loved him! Where have all the "I hate agent Elrond" -clubbers gone...? <BR>Don't get me wrong, I liked him too. Though he did seem a bit too cold and sarcastic at times.

Well, Nenya, you've been around since last December, I notice....and another thing that I noticed when I read the old threads a while back (before Esty cleaned up the Movies section and got rid of about 10 pages or so) that last year posters were a lot harder on the movie than most of the people hanging around the Downs now. The majority of us now are here to glean spoiler information for TTT or form support groups for the *agonizing* three day wait. So PJ/HW etc. bashing just isn't what it used to be. (However, the Liv haters are still going strong).<p>[ December 15, 2002: Message edited by: Diamond18 ]

Did you just mention the 'A' word????<P>But seriously, I liked Weaving. I liked Tyler as well, but please, the Arwen haters annoy hell out of me so I'll leave it.<P>Elrond bashers are slightly more understandable to me, even though I completely disagree with them. Sure, he doesn't look too youthful, but he still did a great job. Very serious at times, and two great smiles as well.<P>And about the Matrix, people who can't distinguish between different films are not trying very hard. You know, I heard that Chris Lee's played different characters before as well, but you don't hear folk coming out the cinema saying, "Dude, that vampire is evil!"

Yeah, I noticed the change too, Diamond. Thank God there's still good ol' Liv to keep us from getting overly positive!

Bowie? Really? He would have made a good, no great Elrond. But I do agree with P.J, he would have been too recognizable. My sister would disagree though. She is a hugh Bowie fan. Wait till I tell her. She'll be so mad!

Well at least Hugo played a better Elrond than Julius Caesar in the animated movies! For some reason me and my brother always caleld Elrond that when we see the animated ones.

i loved hugo in lotr (and in the matrix too...)!the only thing little disturbing me was that he was so serious and kind of cold(?).he had great dignity though.<BR>by the way...it wouldn't be nice to be hugo reading your good-ugly,wrong hairline -things...just a thought <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I saw the matrix about 30 times...I still think of him as "Elrond" rather than "the Agent" <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>that's the way it goes...elrond is elrond and agent smith is elrond...what!<BR>ooops!someone didn't know how the quote-button works *blushes...*<p>[ June 19, 2003: Message edited by: dancing spawn of ungoliant ]

There was no fault to be found with Hugo. Every line was delivered as an elven lord should deliver it. I enjoyed every moment he was on screen, and just wish there was more.<P>It could have been David Bowie *shudders*

I think Hugo played a great Elrond. If he didn't quite look like him, is that make-ups department?

Ach, I don't know how you can say that. I look at Hugo Weaving and I see the perfect Elrond. His looks weren't truly elvish, but as someone else said, that's what make-up's for! The hair and the costume helped immensely. I personally believe he has the perfect voice, though. Elrond would be very serious, and likely semi-cold and distant. That's what Hugo did. So props to him! ^_^<P>((Edited typos, then edited how it ran together for no apparent reason. Thanks Helkahothion.))<p>[ June 21, 2003: Message edited by: QuickSlash ]

Sam Niel (of jurassic park fame) would be the only one who would be the better Elrond... When i first read the books, i thought that if they were ever going to make it into a movie, he would be the best.

Every time I see or think about Hugo, I end up thinking of Sam Neill. They are exactly the same. So Sam wouldn't make a better Elrond, he'd be the same. Put them in costume, stand them next to each other, and you could easily confuse them.

Hey quickslash, I'm seeing sort of a pattern in your post <P>I agree that Hugo sounds perfectly elvish. But that thing about the make-up: How do you think Gimli would have looked if they didn't use any make-up? <P>Suilad,<P>Anuion

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Gimli would have looked if they didn't use any make-up? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>WIERD!

Indeed. None of the actrs would have looked like something without make-up. So it is not really a reason to shoot hem off with.<P>Suilad,<P>Anuion

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>None of the actors would have looked like something without make-up <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>and don't forget digital grading <BR>i think that hugo brings the essence of elrond alive

Some (okay, lots) of you have been bringing up the point that Hugo plays Elrond too cold and sarcastic. But let's think about it: Elrond probably was a bit more solemn. <UL TYPE=SQUARE> <BR><LI>He lost his brother to human mortality. <LI>He knows what Beleriand looked like before it was drowned and ruined, and compared to it Middle-earth probably isn't nearly as gorgeous. <BR><LI>He's lived with guilt for three thousand years that he couldn't have pushed Isildur into the lava of Orodruin or talked him into destroying the ring. <BR><LI>He knows the Elves are fading. <BR><LI>He will lose his daughter, never to see her again (well, probably) if Aragorn becomes King. <LI>At the Council, he has to figure out what to do with the ring AND plan a six-hour speech. </UL>The guy's got a lot on his mind! You can't live to see 5000+ years without developing some cynicsm and arched eyebrows. Give him a break! All this to say that Hugo did a wonderful job.

I was surprised he even smiled at the counsil myself. To do that after experiencing all those bad things, you have to be pretty powerfull of mind.<P>Suilad,<P>Anuion

Roccotari Eldandil - your post opened up my eyes to what must be Elrond's sky-rocketing psycologist bill.