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[Edition 79] WELLINGTON, Thursday: The world premiere of Lord of The Rings: The Return Of The King last week signalled the end of an epic five-year journey for film-maker Peter Jackson, and the official opening of his slump back into bedraggled penury.
Jackson dressed up in his sunday best |
[Edition 79] WELLINGTON, Thursday: The world premiere of Lord of The Rings: The Return Of The King last week signalled the end of an epic five-year journey for film-maker Peter Jackson, and the official opening of his slump back into bedraggled penury. The red carpet gala was attended by a number of luminaries, such as Robin Williams, Jack Osbourne and a dishevelled man pushing a shopping trolley filled with tin cans.
Jackson is notorious for turning his back on the celebrity scene, although he was forced to make some concessions to Hollywood during the filming of the epic series. “It was tough showering every few weeks,” Jackson admitted. “And it was really hard to cut out my incoherently obscene ramblings about God. But on the other hand, a film set is a toasty-warm place to sleep.”
The appointment of Jackson to direct the famous trilogy had originally been seen as a controversial one. “But in the end we chose Peter because he most looked the part,” explained Executive Producer Mark Ordesky. “Quite literally, he looks like he’s from Middle Earth.”
“And when you come across a big-budget director who’ll work for food, you don’t ask questions.”
For Jackson, the chance to make the famous trilogy was a dream come true. “I’ve wanted to do the Lord of the Rings ever since I was a kid,” he told reporters. “Those big thick volumes provided with me so much warmth and shelter over the years, I just wanted to give something back to them.”
But now Jackson can’t wait to get back to his beloved cardboard shanty. “I enjoyed making Lord Of The Rings but I’ve had to give up a lot in the process,” he said. “I still remember the moment of relief on the last day of shooting when I knew once again I could matt my hair with filth. By the way, could you spare some change?”
