StudioLA's Jim Ferguson chats with Elijah Wood, who plays the role of Hobbit Frodo Baggins, in the live action epic The Lord of the Rings, based upon J.R.R. Tolkien's books that have enchanted millions of fans worldwide for generations. The trilogy already shot, will be released one film per year. The Fellowship of the Ring just released, will be followed by The Two Towers in late 2002 and The Return of the King, in late 2003.

Jim: Elijah, as an actor you had to be proud to play Frodo Baggins, the Hobbit.

Elijah: I am, I am!

Jim: Unlike your character, he was not anxious...he didn't want to be part of this [journey].

Elijah: Yes, he wanted to go back to the Shire initially. It was a reluctant thing on his part, he kind of fell into this journey and was suddenly thrust with this ring and this destiny that he has to accept. I think he accepts this responsibility I think more out of destiny than anything. He then realizes that he really is the only one who is capable of withstanding the evil of the ring for that length of time.

Jim: And he realizes that.

Elijah: He does. Hobbits in nature can actually withstand it more than any other race.

Jim: I just talked with three other Hobbits. Your buddies, of course, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan. And they say Hobbits need to be with other Hobbits to be happy.

Elijah: Well, it's what they are familiar with, and Hobbits get along with Hobbits very easily. You know, Hobbits in nature love life. They are very passionate, they live very simple lives. They love good friends, good food, good drink. They relate to that. Other races of Middle-earth don't really understand the Hobbits nature, and only Hobbits understand Hobbits, so certainly they need each other to get through the length of the journey.

Jim: Did you feel, wearing the wardrobe, and just being part of this, as they did, that you almost became - believed that there are Hobbits?

Elijah: I think we all believed. Absolutely. The one moment that really defined that belief for us was when we went to Hobbiton. Hobbiton was a real place. They created it and built it but when we went there, it looked as if it had been there for hundreds of years. And so it felt for us as Hobbits, as if we were going home. It was an incredible moment.

Jim: It's a wonderful action thriller, tremendous effects.

Elijah: They're amazing. Some of the best I've ever seen.

Jim: But, the bottom line to The Lord of the Rings is the friendship, the comradeship between all the characters, the true heart of the film.

Elijah: Yeah, absolutely. What makes those friendships in the film really come across and authentic is the fact that they were real. We spent 16 months in New Zealand making these three films. Over the course of this period of time we became a fellowship in reality. And so I think those friendships are so strong in the film because they were a reality, and that's why they really come across.

Jim: Life imitating art.

Elijah: Certainly. Absolutely.

Jim: This whole experience. The swordsmanship, the riding the horses, working in the woods and everything. It had to be an experience you may never find again.

Elijah: I'll never have an experience like this in my life. And I don't want to because nothing will ever match this in terms of scale, in terms of the friendships I've made, in terms of the different kind of experiences that I had. Nothing will come close to this.

Jim: When the audience sees The Lord of the Rings, there's only one bad thing about it, and that is you want to sit through the second one right away, but you've got to wait a year! [laughter]

Elijah: [laughter] I feel that same. Thank you!