Pippin actor Billy Boyd shares a humorous story about when he celebrated his birthday with Orlando Bloom when working on The Lord of the Rings movies. The actor starred in Peter Jackson's epic three-part adaptation of JRR Tolkien's fantasy novel, starting with 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring. Boyd played the young hobbit Peregrin "Pippin" Took alongside Dominic Monaghan, who played his cousin and best friend, Merry Brandybuck.
Boyd's young hobbit finds himself caught up in Frodo's (Elijah Wood) quest to destroy the One Ring by casting it into Mordor's Mount Doom. Joining a fellowship comprised of hobbits, men, elves, and dwarves, Pippin faces down orcs, aids the Ents, and stands alongside the guards of Minas Tirith, before eventually returning to the Shire once Frodo's quest is complete. Though the stars are unsure if a Lord of the Rings reunion event will happen to celebrate the first film's 20th anniversary in December, they continue to share behind-the-scenes stories from the production of the fantasy epic.
While being interviewed for WIRED alongside co-star Monaghan, Boyd shares he had just turned 31 when production began, before revealing a funny encounter between him and Legolas actor Orlando Bloom. Boyd says that he celebrated his birthday the day he flew to New Zealand, and that he and Bloom, who were travelling together, shared a bottle of champagne as they were leaving London. When the pair then connected in Los Angeles, the change in time zone meant that it was still his birthday when they landed, so they popped another cork. Check out Boyd's response below:
I turned 31 on the flight going over in New Zealand. I was flying with Orlando Bloom. It was my birthday, and we drank a bottle of champagne in London. And when we got to LA, because of the time difference, it was my birthday again. And we drank another bottle of champagne.
Boyd isn't the only Lord of the Rings star to reflect on the franchise, with Wood recently recollecting filming his Frodo audition tape. Wood revealed in a recent interview that he recruited a vocal coach and friends to help him film the three scenes required for his audition tape before sending it to Jackson. Wood also shared that one of the orc masks was created as an insult to the recently convicted rapist and Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, following Jackson's own rough experience with him.
Principal photography for The Lord of the Rings lasted a full year between 1999 and 2000, with pick-up shoots occurring between 2001 and 2003. With such an extensive production, there are many stories of on-set incidents and friendships between the stars that were formed throughout the production. Like the Fellowship in the film, it is clear from Boyd's story of his celebration with Bloom that a strong bond is shared between the cast that endures even 20 years after release.
Source: WIRED