"We've never seen you act, not even in a cameo," said Elijah Wood, who had just joined the meeting in the large conference room after the brief next-phase preparation meeting. "All of us want to collaborate with you, not just as an actor and director, but as actors working together."
Duke tilted his head as he looked at the people around the table. "Why a cave troll?"
Viggo Mortensen quickly continued, "Well… we're mainly worried about your acting skills."
Seeing that Duke was still considering the proposal, Ivanka Trump nudged Tina Fey. Among everyone in the room, Tina Fey knew Duke best.
Tina Fey didn't immediately speak. She glanced at Charles Rowen, who gave a nod, signaling her to continue. "Duke, Charles, and I, along with Panny, discussed this in Los Angeles. They all think it's a good idea."
Turning to Duke, Tina Fey gestured for him to let her continue.
"The beginning of a movie series is the hardest, and also the most crucial," she said. "There are a lot of people doubting us, and some fans have been protesting. We think that you playing a prominent role will add more interest to the film and boost its publicity…"
Charles Rowen smoothly took over, "Your first role after becoming a Hollywood director will surely attract a lot of attention."
Duke propped his chin up, thinking for a moment. He had to admit they had a point. Since he started directing films, not only had he never played a role, but he hadn't even done a cameo like other directors. With his current fame, playing a distinct character would definitely attract a lot of attention.
Duke knew that while his skills in directing actors weren't top-notch, they were decent, but his acting? It could only be described as terrible…
The cave troll would be done using motion capture. Duke remembered that Ang Lee had personally done motion capture for the Hulk, so maybe he could try that as well. Combined with publicity, it might be an eye-catching stunt.
The scenes in the Mines of Moria would mostly be filmed in a studio, and Duke was seriously considering the suggestion. He also asked Charles Rowen to communicate with Warner Brothers to come up with a more feasible promotional plan.
By July, New Zealand was still in winter, the perfect time for snow-filled scenes. Duke only allowed the crew to rest in Wellington for two days before taking everyone on a helicopter to a ski resort near a mountain outside Wellington.
One of Charles Rowen's assistants had already arrived the day before to prepare the set. As Duke and the others disembarked from the helicopter, the crew quickly went to work.
A snow-covered ridge not far from the helipad would become the location for the close-up shots of Caraholas, while the panoramic shots would be handled by Zack Snyder's team, who were still busy traveling between the islands of New Zealand.
Since it was an icy mountain location, the crew had to rely on hand-held cameras supported by Steadicams.
Fortunately, most of the scene was untouched nature, so no setup was required. Once the members of the Fellowship of the Ring finished their makeup, they could dive right into the shoot.
While waiting for the actors to finish their makeup, Duke bundled up in a thick winter coat, goggles, and gloves. Having grown up in the dry, hot Southern California climate, he wasn't quite used to the damp and cold weather.
Other actors had it easier with makeup, but Sean Davis, who played Gimli, had the most complicated process. However, since he wouldn't be in any close-up shots, there was no need for the time-consuming silicone headpieces and makeup.
"This ski resort is great," Ivanka Trump said, gazing into the distance while waiting for the shoot to begin. "The scenery is amazing, much better than the ski resorts in Europe and Canada. I'll have to come here for a vacation next summer."
"Can you ski?" she asked, turning to Duke.
After waiting for nearly two hours, Duke, bored, was watching the prop crew prepare the 'pony' for the expedition. He turned back to her and said, "I can do a little. I haven't practiced much, though."
"If you have time, I can teach you," Ivanka responded, seemingly delighted that she might have a skill to surpass Duke. She raised her chin slightly, adding, "It's really easy."
Duke turned his gaze back to the horizon, the sky blue and the clouds white, absolutely stunning. He quickly walked along the path that the crew had cleared on the ridge, heading toward John Schwartzman's location. Since Tina Fey hadn't gone up the mountain, Ivanka Trump, as his assistant, followed him.
"John…"
Before he even reached John, Duke shouted over, "Capture some shots of the sky."
"Got it!" John Schwartzman took the camera from under a waterproof cover and set it on his shoulder. "I'm looking for the best shooting spot."
With that, he and his assistant made their way further up.
"Do you often encounter unexpected situations during film shoots?" Ivanka asked, following behind Duke.
Duke turned and watched John Schwartzman carefully step through the snow. "Sometimes, ideas suddenly pop up, and you have to capture them. If you let them go, it's hard to find them again."
He changed the subject. "Ivanka, go check below and see if the actors are almost done with their makeup."
Another half hour passed before the Fellowship finally finished their makeup and made their way up the ridge. After some quick adjustments, Duke started the first test shoot.
On the snow-covered Caraholas mountain, the Fellowship trudged through the snow, with Legolas in the lead as a guide, and Aragorn bringing up the rear to help Frodo.
Suddenly, Frodo fell in the snow, rolling toward Aragorn. As Aragorn helped him up, they realized that the One Ring, hanging from Frodo's neck, was missing…
John Schwartzman immediately swung the camera toward Gerard Butler, who was playing Boromir. Gerard's character picked up the Ring…
"Cut!"
Duke shouted stop and walked over to Gerard Butler. "Jerry, your expression is off."
Gerard Butler's acting talent was average, so Duke took the ring from his hand and said, "Boromir, in this scene, should feel confusion, a bit of luck, and temptation. He believes the Ring can save Gondor…"
Duke patted Gerard's shoulder. "Boromir isn't just a tough guy protecting Gondor, he's a character with complex emotions."
"I'll work on it," Gerard promised.
In the original text, this character was considered far from a hero, and many felt his death was deserved. But Duke didn't plan to handle him this way. Every film needs a climactic scene, and if that climax is memorable and widely discussed, it can elevate the entire film.
Boromir's actions in the movie would serve as his redemption, making him a pivotal turning point in Aragorn's journey from ranger to king.
Filming resumed, with the focus on Boromir. Due to Gerard Butler's lack of experience, Duke had to call "cut" multiple times. The crew endured the freezing cold in the snow for nearly an hour before Duke was satisfied.
During a break back at the ski resort's café, Gerard Butler, despite being one of the less experienced actors in the Fellowship, treated everyone to coffee and personally delivered it to each table.
Actors know that becoming famous isn't just about acting skills. Take the two actors playing horses, for example. One was just as good as Viggo Mortensen but only served as a background player.
Indeed, the horses in the snow were two actors dressed as props. Bringing actual horses to a snow-covered mountain was too difficult, so Duke had found a way to work around it, knowing that the camera wouldn't focus on the horses anyway.
The snow mountain scenes took nearly a week to shoot, with Duke and the team returning to Wellington after finishing up.
There, he met up with Zack Snyder and Anna Prinz, reviewing their respective tasks. Zack, who had worked with Duke since The Rock, shared similar filmmaking philosophies, so there were no problems. Anna's task was simpler, recording animal sound effects with their long-time sound technician, David Farmer.
After the grueling experiences on The Matrix and Critical Emergency, Duke, usually a workaholic, gave the crew a four-day break, including the weekend. Some actors, like Ian McKellen, had other commitments, so they needed time off as well.
Duke's private jet had also arrived, a Gulfstream V. While it wasn't as large as commercial jets, its nearly 100-foot length and 6,000-mile range were perfect for Duke's needs.
Once the plane was ready, Duke left the Wellington crew under Charles Rowen's supervision and, along with two assistants, flew back to Los Angeles to meet with Warner Brothers' PR chief, Jamie Johnson. They then flew to New York to meet with high-level executives at Victoria's Secret, aiming to launch a massive promotional campaign to generate buzz for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.