How did you find out that Legolas would be back for The Hobbit movies and what were your thoughts at the time?

I had been in communication with [director] Peter Jackson. He said, ‘Listen, we have this idea of ‘Leggy’ coming back. This is what we’re thinking, and this is how we see it. What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Of course!’ I love the character, I love Peter Jackson, and I love New Zealand. So I said, ‘Yeah, great.’

I jumped in with a leap of faith that things would take shape. And, of course, being in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I had a sense of how it would play. Pete gave me my start in life in many ways, in terms of my career, in casting me as Legolas. I love that character and I love that world. It was a no-brainer in many respects.

My only thought, and the point that I raised with Pete, was how fans would react to Legolas being a part of the world when he wasn’t written into the books. But Pete was very reassuring in his response, which was that obviously Thranduil (Lee Pace) is a part of that world. Legolas is Thranduil’s son, and there’s room for that story. Pete always has one eye on the book, and keeping the integrity of that world and the story whilst taking some creative licence to provide, I think, what hopefully is, for fans and audiences, entertaining storylines and character development.

What was it like to go down to New Zealand and get refitted with Legolas’ ears and wig?

Of course, it was wonderful to go back to New Zealand. It was sort of like returning to family, really, in many ways. Obviously getting the ears on, the wig and costume and all of that stuff played into the character. I had time before shooting to do some archery training, sword fighting, horse riding, movement training, and all of those things. All of that informed and reminded and refreshed me in terms of what I was doing with the character and how I had approached it all those years ago.

Will Legolas have crazy stunts in this movie like he has had in the first trilogy?

Yeah, he’s got some pretty cool moments. Pete’s good with that. He knows what each character needs in terms of moments to play out, and I think that’s part of who Leggy is. He’s a great character. He comes in and doesn’t say much and pulls some cool moves and takes care of business.

Can you tell us about Legolas’ relationship with the elf warrior Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly?

Tauriel is a bit of a rookie, tearaway elf. She’s a very wilful character. The story for my character is this father-son dynamic with Thranduil, and then Tauriel plays into that with her storyline and how they all kind of cross over and where they interact. It’s a really nice, interesting story addition for Legolas.

It’s a great character, Tauriel, and I think Legolas and Tauriel play off each other really well. So I think it’s a little added bonus, if you like.

You mentioned the father-son dynamic between Legolas and Thranduil. How would you describe their relationship?

His father is a complex character and is obviously a powerful and somewhat wounded character. There’s an interesting dynamic based on Thranduil. He’s trying to control and maintain and develop the power of these Elves in Mirkwood and how they interact with the Dwarves.

And, of course, we see that interaction and the complexity of that dynamic. So, I think that Legolas, in that father-son dynamic, is the son growing into the character that goes off to be a part of the Fellowship of the Ring. He’s learning and realising that there are things that he wants to do outside of the family confines.

Since you made your debut as Legolas, have people come up to you and told you that Legolas is their favorite character?

Yeah. It’s true. He’s a great character. As I said, it was a no-brainer in many respects because I loved to play him. He’s a beautifully drawn character by Tolkien. And then Pete’s vision for the character and letting his story play out was just wonderful. So, it’s been fantastic.

KNOW LEGGY

Legolas is an elf from Mirkwood and one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

JRR Tolkien first describes Legolas in The Fellowship of the Ring as “a strange Elf, clad in green and brown”.

While Legolas’ exploits on the battlefield aren’t presented in great detail by Tolkien, Peter Jackson shows Orlando Bloom’s ‘Leggy’ as an unstoppable fighter in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)

Bloom had to endure two hours of make-up every morning. He had to shave his head to fit the wig and wore blue contact lenses.

Bloom’s two-year-old son Flynn is so excited about his dad playing Legolas that he was spotted wielding a toy sword ala Leggy while sitting astride Bloom’s shoulders in New York recently.

With divorce from Miranda Kerr imminent, Bloom is said to be seeing Liv Tyler, who plays Arwen in The Lord of The Rings films.

HOBBIT IN NUMBERS

1 Crew member whose only job on the sets was to look after the prosthetic hands.

2.5 Number of years the textures department at Weta Digital worked on Smaug’s (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) skin.

3 Films in the Hobbit trilogy.

4 Inches that 15-year-old actor John Bell (who plays Bain) grew over the time the films were shot.

5 Hours to complete hair, make-up, prosthetics and wardrobe for each of the 13 Dwarves.

6 Number of weeks to build Beorn’s (played by Mikael Persbrandt) house.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

7km Length of tape used to attach beards to the actors’ faces.

10kg Human hair used for making the wigs for the film.

26 Average days shooting on a single set.

65 Number of people it took — actors, doubles and stunt men included — to portray the 13 Dwarves.

80 The age of the oldest microphone used to record the score for the film.

91 The wigs created for the Dwarves.

99 Studio sets built for the trilogy.

100+ Hobbit feet for Bilbo.

115 Drivers needed to transport the cast and crew to New Zealand locations.

263 Beards made for the film.

300 Bottles of spirit gum used in production.

752 Wigs.

860 Bottles of isopropyl alcohol used to remove prosthetics.

2,000 Hand-spun goblets created for Smaug’s lair.

8,900 Approximate continuous hours the art department worked to build, decorate, and tear down sets.

11,862 Prosthetics made for the trilogy.

140,000+ Cups of coffee made by craft services throughout production.

170,000 Aluminum-gold plated coins trickled over Smaug’s lair.