The
Dominion Post
WED 11 DEC 2002
Waiting in the wings
By Steve Rendle
David Wenham plays Faramir, a very different
character to his hot-headed brother Boromir. Though
gentle-natured, Faramir still gets the chance to
break a few heads.
`The second film is much darker than the first film, and then you've got stuff
like the battle at Helm's Deep. That involved nearly three months of night
shooting. Those sequences were enormous. I think it will be pretty special.'
DON'T let the FX get in the way of a good story . . . that's the key to Peter
Jackson's approach to filming The Lord of the Rings trilogy, according to
Australian actor David Wenham.
More than two years after filming his parts, Wenham finally makes it on to the
screen in The Two Towers as Faramir, brother of Boromir, played by Sean Bean and killed by orcs in the finale of The Fellowship.
He's since appeared in the highly praised The Bank, a technological thriller a
world away from The Rings movies. And then there was his part in The Crocodile
Hunter: Collision Course, a world away from every thing else.
Wenham claims to have a terrible long-term memory -- though a great short-term
recall, essential for any actor. But even he remembers the thrill of taking on
one of the great film projects of all time.
"I have fabulous memories from my time there (in
"It was an extraordinary experience, certainly the biggest thing I'll be
involved with in my life," he said.
"I couldn't conceive of another film on that scale again. Unless they
remade the Bible, but I don't think that's going to happen."
And despite the first Rings movie garnering huge praise for the barrage of special
effects which made it a visual extravaganza, Wenham says they are not at the
core of what makes the films special.
"I suppose the real difference between other huge films that have been
around in the past is the fact that certainly Peter, and also the writers as
well, wanted the characters and the actors to be central to this tale.
"It is a story that is propelled by characters. It is an actor-driven film
-- it's not a special effects-driven film.
"There happen to be great special effects in it but they're not the
motivating, or the driving, force in the film.
"It's undoubtedly an acting job. Pete would never allow a special effects
or a whiz-bang thing to overwhelm or dwarf a characters' journey or a part of
the story."
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, he says, and seeing the first film
proved the integrity of the project.
"That was something I think was pretty evident in the first film. You got
swept up in the journey. You wanted to go on that journey with Frodo, Sam and
the rest of the Fellowship.
"I think that will continue through the next two films."
IT WAS a strange experience for Wenham. While the world waited for the first
movie to succeed, or fail, he was already tied to involvement in the next two
films after not even appearing in the first.
He admits it was something new.
"I think this is the longest (wait) after I've done something that
publicity pops up . . . What was more strange, was doing stuff that you knew
wouldn't be seen for three years.
"But it was so exciting seeing the first film last year. The success and
the accolades it garnered . . . I just felt slightly lucky to be involved in
it.
"And I felt good for Peter that he did pull it off because he's just so
talented."
And Wenham firmly believes there are plenty of shots left in
"I can say, I think pretty clearly, that the second film will be much
bigger in scale," he said.
"I know that's pretty hard to believe but just knowing the story, it is
going to be much bigger.
"The second film is much darker than the first film and then you've got
stuff like the battle at Helm's Deep. That involved nearly three months of
night shooting. Those sequences were enormous. I think it will be pretty
special."
As for his character, Faramir is a different
character to the brash Boromir.
While his brother was a favourite of Denethor, Faramir has spent years
scouting and defending the wild borderlands of Gondor
to earn his acceptance.
"Boromir is much more reckless and hot-headed.
"Faramir is much more considered, he's
supposedly gentle-natured," Wenham explains.
"He's somebody who doesn't kill without good cause. He's a man who's
supposedly a great lover of art and music, not that you'll see that in the
film.
"He is quite different to Boromir, though he had
great respect and admiration for his brother."
Given that The Two Towers is full of fighting, Faramir
also gets the chance to break a few heads. "He's described as being
gentle-natured but he's also described as being an extremely valiant warrior --
he's a bloody good fighter. He's the head of the Rangers . . . so he's not too
bad with the bow and arrow and he also gets to use the sword as well."
And he gets the girl, in this case Eowyn, played by
Miranda Otto . . . but not till the third film.
Wenham admits he wasn't a Rings fan before getting the job as Faramir, but says once he started reading, he was hooked.
"I was one of those people who didn't grow up reading the book. I had to
go to the bookshop, look up Tolkien and read those
hefty little books. You can't not like it. It's a
great read . . . it's just a bit daunting when you pick it up and you can
hardly get your hand around it.
"You look at the number of pages and think, `well, there's
not many pictures in it', but then you start to get into it, and you think,
`I'm glad there's not too many pictures in it because the words are so good'.
"It's a really great sort of story and it lets your imagination fly."