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From SF Radio
December 2003
Everybody's Favorite
An Interview with Craig Parker
Note: I only translated the interview, I am not affiliated with SF Radio
Craig Parker is a New Zealand actor, who, despite a relatively small part as Haldir in both "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers", attracted a huge congregation of fans all over the world. Already a star in his home country, Parker now sets out to conquer the world.
SF-Radio met the very charming actor in Berlin at the Europe premier for "Return of the King".
SF-RADIO: Hi Craig, it's a pleasure to meet you here in Berlin. You are here at the premier athough you were not officially on the guest list. How was the event?
Parker: The premiere was unbelievable. Berlin is a very special city, and I think everybody was proud to hold the premier in such a beautiful city. I was astounded, though, by the number of fans along the red carpet. I talked to some who had been standing in the freezing cold since the early morning. That is dedication!
SF-RADIO: How did you like the movie?
Parker: I love "Return of the King". I know all three movies are really just one, but the third part is my favorite. It is bigger, better and all the 'er'-words you can come up with to describe such a masterpiece. Even though there are these incredible fight scenes, the story is still the main aspect.
SF-RADIO: But are you in the third movie at all, despite Haldir putting down his Elve-ears in the second film?
Parker: Yes, I was able to sneak in again. I lend my voice to a few screaming people during the battle. And I was the voice of some Orcs, Gothmog and his evil minion. The characters were played very well by Lawrence Makoare and Joel Tobek; and it was fun to be their voices. Lots of fun for a small price: For a few days after recording the voices I was hardly able to speak a word.
SF-RADIO: How did you cope with the transition from being that clean, goodlooking Elf to become that pizza-faced Orc, though?
Parker: Haha! I'm not so sure that Haldir still looked so good after getting that axe in the back. The great thing about ADR is that you don't have to spend hours in makeup, just to stand around in pouring rain afterwards. You know? You go into the recording studio, have a cup of tea, do some weird grunts and other sounds. Very civilized.
SF-RADIO: Although Haldir is a relatively small part, you managed to attract a huge and dedicated group of fans all over the world. Could you ever have imagined such a hype around yourself?
Parker: Ever heard the saying "Do not trust the hype?" There are so many people out there, so closely connected with the story and the characters in "Lord of the Rings", some of it is simply rubbing off on us. I'm overwhelmed with the dedication people have for the books as well as the movies.
SF-RADIO: You were invited to quite a few conventions this year, one of them was Ring*Con 2003 in Bonn this November. What was your impression of it, after all, it was already your second time on this event?
Parker: Ring*Con is a unique event. Three days of fun and partying. Ring*Con 2002 had been my very first convention ever. Mark Ferguson and I came over from New Zealand together, and we had no idea what to expect. To be honest, we were scared. The fact of 2000 plus people, all dressed up as elves and hobbits was very intimidating. After all, we had never experienced anything like that before. But finally it turned out to become a wonderful experience. So many witty, dedicated people, there for three days to have fun together, and all that because of this story that brought them together.
SF-RADIO: Can we expect to see you again at Ring*Con 2004? After all, you are almost part of the inventory already.
Parker: Who knows? I have been invited already and the offer is very tempting. But it's still a long time till November. Who knows what will happen till then.
SF-RADIO: You are spending a lot of time in Europe right now. What are your plans for the near future?
Parker: From Christmas on I will be in London, have some time off, relax, meet some friends and travel. And there are so many nice things to eat, wines to drink and galleries to visit.
SF-RADIO: Do you ever visit your fansites on the internet?
Parker: No. It is flattering to know they exist, but I don't really want to know what people say and write there. It's like eavesdropping on people who talk about you. You might not like what they are saying.
SF-RADIO: Craig Parker, thank you for the interview.
Parker: It's been a pleasure. | | |