Mentioning that he has been asked to make a return for the latest J.R.R. Tolkien's adaptation, the actor who plays Gimli in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy confesses to have declined the offer.
- Oct 31, 2009
AceShowbiz - While questions on which cast members from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy will be making an appearance in "The Hobbit" remain to be answered, one thing is for sure that a "LOTR" star won't be returning. To Empire, John Rhys-Davies who is known for his portrayal of Gimli in the trilogy has spoken about him passing up the chance to be involved in the new project.
"I've already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn't. I have already completely ruled it out," the 65-year-old slammed the possibility of him portraying Gimli's father, Gloin, since his character doesn't appear in the book. He went on explaining, "There's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more."
Rhys-Davies further shared more on the offer made and his hesitancy. "It was just a gentle 'What would you feel about putting it on again?' " he said. "But no. I'd be interested in trying to create a different type of persona within...the thing. That is challenging as an actor. I'd really prefer to play something quite different. Maybe an Elf."
He continued, "They've got a different set of problems with The Hobbit because you've got 13 dwarves, a whole band of them...You're trying to represent a whole race...You're trying to do for dwarves what The Lord of the Rings did for hobbits."
When asked whether there is a chance he will make a small cameo, the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the "Indiana Jones" films responded with questions. "Why would you want to do it if it was just a couple of shots?" he in return asked. "When you've been 1 of 1, why would you want to be 1 of 13?"
"The Hobbit" is taken from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel of the same title and is planned to be made into two-part movies. The movies will re-create the scenes of the novel, with additional events that make an impact to "The Lords of the Rings", such as the expulsion of Sauron from Mirkwood by The White Council. The first of the adventure fantasy movie is scheduled for December 2011 U.S. release, while "The Hobbit 2" is expected to hit theaters a year later.
