Teenhollywood Magazine interview with Lij
Elijah Wood: From Hobbit to Hooligan
by Lynn Barker 9/8/2005
Determined to choose smaller, independent movies after his long stint as Frodo in the "Rings" trilogy, Elijah Wood, of the amazing big blue eyes, joined the ensemble cast of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, chose to play a monster boy serial killer in Robert Rodriguez's Sin City and hits heavy this September as a disgraced young journalist turned soccer hooligan in the rough, R-rated Green Street Hooligans. In Everything is Illuminated, Elijah plays a strange young man looking for a woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in the Nazi-occupied Ukraine.
Meeting with us to chat about his two unusual new films, the young actor had a real Elvis vibe going on; very black hair with long retro-1970's sideburns and a tan stripe shirt over a darker brown tee; a new look for Elijah who is about to add music producer to his resume.
The actor gave us news about his visit to the King Kong set, let us know that, like his character in "Illuminated", he collects some pretty strange stuff and told us what it's like to work in a small car with a dog and two Russian guys and, for "Hooligans", to train to fight like some really rough English football fans who take their game a little too seriously.
TeenHollywood: Now that you are in your 20's and aren't wearing furry feet anymore, what kinds of roles are you looking for?
Elijah: Well, after those ["Rings"] films the idea of doing anything remotely large in scale was the last thing that I wanted to do. Having worked on that film for four years essentially I wanted to find the smallest possible thing that I could. No makeup. No early, early calls. No super long days. No long shooting schedule. The idea of being like a part of 'Eternal Sunshine' which was a relatively small role, was really exciting for me. It was an ensemble. I'm always looking for something different than the last thing that I was
part of. I'm kind of at the mercy of whatever becomes available. I think that the thing that I would be specifically looking for is just roles that will continue to sort of build me as an adult. I think that I'm still perceived a lot younger than I am. So I think that would be the one thing that I'd be looking for the most, having roles more adult in nature and a bit older.
TeenHollywood: What was it like to go to London and get into the world of soccer (they call it football) hooliganism? Was it kind of scary?
Elijah: No.
The experience of traveling up to London and those two weeks of rehearsal were really kind of incredible because it very much mirrored what my character went through. An American who's not really familiar with that world, having never been to a proper football match and kind of experiencing those things with the guys for the first time. I didn't feel alienated at all. My character does come
into it so green and so innocent. So it was kind of perfect that I came into it when I did. But it was actually a great time those first two weeks. It really cemented our relationships with the guys.
TeenHollywood: What did you learn about that world?
Elijah: I appreciate it a lot more, especially going to matches. I mean, it is truly electrifying! It's unlike any sporting event that I've ever been to. But largely, I don't really follow sports that much. I think that if I were to follow sports, I would probably follow football. Definitely.
TeenHollywood: These gangs or "firms" as they like to call themselves, really get into some brutal, bone busting fights. Did you get hurt at all making Green Street Hooligans?
Elijah: No. I didn't get hurt. Actually, we had pretty intensive training and choreography for the fighting. I did about three weeks of training before I went out to London and then consequently during those two weeks of rehearsals we all trained together and choreographed the fights. It was fun to learn street fighting moves. It was very male and masculine.
TeenHollywood: So although it looked really brutal in the movie, you actors on set were having a blast?
Elijah: It was a lot of fun. I think that we all kind of assumed, 'Oh, those are going to be the best days, the fight scenes because it'll be scrapping and all of that.' They were the most complicated days. They were the most exhausting. Those scenes took the longest because it was all very, very specific and it looks very manic. The last fight I think took two and a half to three days and it was cold. It was exhausting. We were sore from just exerting ourselves. But it was safe. I think there was only one injury. Ross McCall, one of the actors in the film, was rehearsing a particular punch movement with one of the other actors and he clocked the guy in the nose and burst his nose. There was blood running everywhere. He felt awful. It was a total accident of course.
TeenHollywood: So, do you think you could now handle yourself pretty well in a fight?
Elijah: [Laughs] I think that I could handle myself pretty well. Yeah. I'm certainly not looking for it. But yeah, I'm not bad.
TeenHollywood: Your two new films have something in common; an American on a self-discovery quest. Have you ever gone on a journey to find your roots?
Elijah: I haven't made that journey. It is something that I'd like to do. I know that I do have family in eastern Europe which is interesting to me. I've got roots there. I think that it's Poland and Germany. The film, 'Illuminated' came at a time in my life when I was asking those questions and wondering about
my heritage. I was just wondering where I pretty much come from. So it was interesting, but I haven't been on that journey of self-discovery.
TeenHollywood: How about going to New Zealand to make "Rings"? Was that a growth or soul-searching experience?
Elijah: Yeah. I left home at eighteen and living in New Zealand for sixteen months on my own was an incredible learning experience and growing experience for me. It was the first time that I really lived as an adult in my life on my own outside of my comfort zone and it informed a lot of who I am and my life. It was definitely that whole process and even over the three years that followed, there was a lot of self-discovery and a lot of growth.
TeenHollywood: Have you been back to New Zealand since?
Elijah: Actually, not long ago I went back. I had to go to Australia for two days of voice work on this animated film that I'm working on and I was like, 'Well, if they're going to bring me out for two days I might as well just get a flight over to Wellington and spend like a week there.' So I contacted them. And all the timing of it was hilarious because I got an email from Philipa Boyens one of the writers on 'Rings' and also on 'Kong.' She was like, 'I haven't heard from you in so long. God. It would be great if you could come out and visit.' And of course at that very moment I was planning on taking this trip. So I was like, 'Funny you should email me, but I'm coming
out.'
TeenHollywood: So did you surprise Peter Jackson and everybody?
Elijah: Philipa freaked out and said, 'I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm not going to tell anyone.' She told Peter [Jackson] and she told Fran [Walsh] and no one else. So I got to Wellington and she met me at a coffee house and we drove out to set and I walked on the stage and the reaction from Kara [the A.D. on both "Rings" and "Kong"] was like utter confusion and emotion. It was so amazing. I was actually surprised at how overwhelmed I was because I was walking onto the same stage that we used and all the same crew and it was amazing. It was great to go back. It will always be such a huge part of my life, that country and those people.
TeenHollywood: Did you get to do a cameo appearance in "Kong"?
Elijah: I didn't. I think that early on we had conceived of maybe trying to get the Hobbits out there, maybe Billy [Boyd], Dom [Monaghan] and myself to try and do some kind of cameo - get stomped on by a giant foot or something or maybe even be dressed as Hobbits way in the background or something. But we never got to do it because Dom was super busy on 'Lost' and Billy has been working. So we couldn't coordinate schedules to do it.
TeenHollywood: Did you learn anything about English football (soccer) when you were with Dom and Billy?
Elijah: No, not really. If anyone would've had more impact on my knowledge of football it would've been Dom Monaghan. But no I didn't really get schooled on it that much. By the time that I read 'Hooligans' and certainly by the time that we started filming, I was pretty aware of the sport and had certainly seen games.
TeenHollywood: On "Illuminated", what about your character Jonathan could you relate to? He's a kind of reclusive, uptight collector.
Elijah: Well, I'm not nearly as socially awkward or inept as he is or as neurotic as he is.
At least I don't think that I am. But I certainly relate to his sense of wanting to grasp onto these objects and these memories. I'm a collector that's not nearly as organized as he is. It's rubbish how poorly organized I am. I keep the tiniest pieces of paper that have some kind of relevance to an experience. I sort of attach sentimental value to absolutely everything. So in that sense wanting to grasp hold of memories, they're kind of all over the place and if I pull one up I'll know what it is and I'll know what it means.
TeenHollywood: So, are you gonna organize all that?
Elijah: One of these days I'll have to put it together. But I certainly relate to that. I attach so much meaning to everything - to experiences, to interactions, to moments, to things that remind me of moments. I think that's one of the reasons that I love music so much and film because it does make you remember experiences. It brings you back. So that's definitely something that I can relate to.
TeenHollywood: Do you keep a journal?
Elijah: I should keep a journal. I wish that I had kept a journal all these years. I don't. I'm now kind of bound and determined to do it because I've gone so long without writing anything down or documenting my experiences in that way. I've always taken pictures, but I've never written anything down. I have so many experiences and eventually it's going to get harder and harder to remember the details. So I am going to start doing that for sure.
TeenHollywood: How was taking a road trip with two Russian actors and a dog while stuffed into a tiny car for "Illuminated"?
Elijah: [laughs] Fantastic. It was great. I remember, when we started, Liev [Schreiber, the director] was like, 'Dude, I feel bad for you being stuck in that car for over a month. That's going to suck. It's going to get hot. It's going to be cramped. There's going to be a dog in there. What a nightmare!' I waslike, 'Yeah. It'll be fine.' And it was great. The car was awesome. The car was almost like a character itself and it was so cramped and tight in there that it just lent itself to these scenes. When Eugene [Hutz] turns around and looks at me [in the back seat] it's right in my face.
TeenHollywood: And that was good?
Elijah: Well, it really helped me because my character is relatively awkward and neurotic and doesn't kind of feel comfortable in any social setting much less in a f**king tiny little car in the middle of the Ukraine. So that being my character's nature, it really lent itself to the feeling of being even more uncomfortable because it was so tight, those quarters. So that was a blast and just lent such an interesting element to those scenes that we didn't have to act out. It was just kind of natural in terms of the space. But the cast was
wonderful. I loved working with them.
TeenHollywood: What was it like working with Liev as your director? Most teens know him from acting.
Elijah: It was wonderful. It's wonderful to work with a director who had never directed before and is an actor first. [`Illuminated'] really relies on the performance of these characters because it is a character-driven film. So to have an actor at that heart of that, at the helm was really helpful. And it was also fascinating for me to watch someone who is an actor go through that first experience of directing and he was so incredible and had a very, very clear vision of what he wanted. He was very, very confident and it gave me great insight of what it could possibly be for me if I were to ever direct. It was a really educational process.
TeenHollywood: How weird was it working with actors who were sometimes speaking Russian?
Elijah: We were dealing with two languages most of the time. The approach to these scenes was different because you can't just sort of memorize your lines and read the scene through because sometimes the cue for my line or a reaction would be in Russian. So it was really interesting, the process, of kind of working those scenes through and getting the rhythms down. They had been written for a very specific type of rhythm. Some of it comedic and some of it
in terms of timing for the different languages to play out. And the dynamic between the three of us and trying to figure those things out was always really fun.
TeenHollywood: We keep hearing that you are starting a record label.
Is that true?
Elijah: Yeah. I've always been passionate about music. And I guess that it was just a few years ago that I thought, 'God, it'd be really interesting to start a label. I love music and I think that it'd be a really fun process to find bands that I really believe in and put out music or just be a part of that process of putting out music that I love and think people should hear.' I think that it's kind of noble and small. It's great. So, yeah, my taste in music is so varied.
TeenHollywood: Any particular kinds of bands or artists you are looking for?
Elijah: The people that I will have on the label are people who are friends that I've met or have been friends with me for a while, but it won't be a specific genre. It'll be really varied because my taste is so varied. I never really conceived of it being one specific type of music.
TeenHollywood: What's next for you on the acting front?
Elijah: There are a few things sort of on the horizon. There is a movie called Bobby that Emilio Estevez wrote and is going to direct. It's about the day that Bobby Kennedy was shot at The Ambassador Hotel. So it's sort of about a cross section of all these different people's lives, different stories of days in the lives of different people at The Ambassador and it ends with that tragedy to give insight into that experience, but also what people were going through at that time in our history, at the hotel itself. It's really an
ambitious script and pretty incredible. So it looks like I'll be a part of that.