"Vigo, what happened here?"
In the studio, Duke looked at Viggo Mortensen with cold eyes. On the side of his forehead, there was a large, purplish bruise. "I believe you know the importance of an actor's face!"
Although the bruise was only on the side of the forehead, it was very noticeable and could not be covered up with makeup. Today, there were a lot of close-up shots of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in his scenes with Arwen. His injury had already affected the filming.
Duke crossed his arms, frowning slightly as he looked at Viggo Mortensen. Actually, since the start of filming, he had a good impression of the actor. Viggo Mortensen trained hard, was excellent at horseback riding, very professional, had good intuition, and was able to handle scenes that most actors would need a stunt double for, effortlessly.
"I'm sorry, Duke," Viggo Mortensen merely apologized.
Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd, both done with their makeup, walked over. Noticing the tense atmosphere, Elijah approached Duke after finding out what had happened.
"Duke, this isn't Viggo's fault," Elijah Wood hesitated slightly, then said, "It's my fault."
Duke turned his head to look at him but didn't speak, waiting for an explanation.
"We haven't had any scenes these past few days," Elijah Wood quickly explained. "Billy, Sean, Viggo, and I went to the ski resort. My skiing skills aren't great, and when I came down the slope, I crashed into Viggo..."
"You did well, Elijah," Duke responded, his eyes scanning Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Sean Austin, and Viggo Mortensen. He then told his assistant, "Tina, notify everyone that during filming, actors are prohibited from engaging in intense physical activities."
He instructed the assistant director, "William, postpone Aragorn and Arwen's scenes. We'll shoot the Hobbit scenes this morning."
Then, he pointed at the three Hobbit actors. "Go prepare. We'll shoot the Pony Inn scene."
Billy Boyd nudged Elijah Wood. "Are we in trouble?"
"What do you think?"
Elijah Wood glared at him. "If you hadn't pushed me yesterday, I wouldn't have crashed into Viggo. Now look, we're all in trouble."
Duke instructed an assistant to inform the still-made-up Alessandra Ambrosio, and the crew moved to another studio. The interior of the Pony Inn had already been set up, and John Schwartzman was directing the camera placement. Duke reminded the costume designer to adjust the Hobbit actors' outfits.
The costumes didn't require major changes, but the Hobbit feet, made of long hair, were another matter.
These prosthetic feet were one of the most time-consuming makeup pieces. Each pair of silicone Hobbit feet took about an hour to wear, and once used, they were discarded. The crew had prepared nearly 2000 pairs for the feet and the elves' pointed ears.
Unlike Billy Boyd and Elijah Wood, who had no problems after their makeup, filming went smoothly for them, just as it had in the past.
Although an accident had happened, Duke knew that time was precious, and he didn't have the luxury to waste it on actors. He also had a large number of extra actors playing background characters for the scene, and it was crucial to maintain authority as a director at times like this.
Viggo Mortensen joined the filming again, and the ranger in his hood didn't need close-up shots, as the shadow from his hood covered the bruise on his forehead.
"Cut!"
When Duke called for a stop, the bustling scene in the studio immediately froze.
He gestured to the actors, signaling that the stop wasn't their fault, then addressed the crew. "John, get a close-up of Viggo's pipe and beard."
After shooting the Pony Inn scene, the crew moved on to film the scene of the four Hobbits entering Bree village. In New Zealand's August, it was not exactly hot; it was even somewhat cold. The four actors had to walk in heavy rain.
In the ruined village set, the artificial rain was ready. Of course, Duke didn't use cold water; he wasn't that cruel. However, the four actors trudging through the mud while water constantly poured over them was certainly no fun.
"Is Duke messing with us?"
Sitting on a break bench, Billy Boyd wiped the water off his face and asked, "Why do I feel like it's raining particularly hard?"
"Do you think he's punishing us?" Elijah Wood shook his head. "If he were, he wouldn't have called 'cut' so soon."
"Elijah's right."
The oldest actor, Sean Austin, stood up. "Let's go wash up and change. If we get sick, Duke will surely punish us."
Filming was always full of unexpected events. Even with the camaraderie of the fellowship members, similar situations, like Viggo Mortensen's injury, could still happen.
When accidents occurred, how to reallocate resources within the crew was one of the most basic skills a director needed.
Zack Snyder, filming on location, also faced problems. A stunt actor playing a Rohirrim rider fell off his horse during filming and broke two ribs. However, the crew quickly reached a compensation agreement with his agent, and the stuntman was safely admitted to a hospital in Wellington.
It was impossible to film an epic like The Lord of the Rings without any injuries, especially with stunt doubles doing high-risk stunts. Minor bumps and bruises were a daily occurrence.
After nearly a week, Viggo Mortensen's bruise gradually faded, and Duke brought back the postponed scenes, scheduling the Aragorn and the four Hobbits scenes.
Alessandra Ambrosio had dyed her hair black and wore black contact lenses to match the description of Arwen in the novel. When she walked on set in her moss-green elven warrior outfit, carrying a long elven curved sword, many were impressed.
Especially Billy Boyd, the enthusiastic one, who loudly declared before filming, "Colleen, you're too beautiful! I'll write a song for you—no, two songs!"
Billy Boyd, who played Pippin, was a music enthusiast and had composing skills.
Duke was also intrigued by his comment and said loudly, "Billy, you can try composing some music. If it meets my expectations, I might use it as the theme song."
Billy Boyd immediately perked up. "It's a deal, Duke."
Waving at them, Duke walked into the filming area. Surrounded by green screens, a small forest set had been constructed, with trees made of plastic and fake bushes and grass. It looked incredibly realistic, even without post-production effects. Even with the naked eye, it appeared genuine.
Looking at Alessandra Ambrosio as Arwen, who had become familiar with her movements alongside Viggo Mortensen, Duke walked over to the Asilas bush and crouched down to examine it. This was the only real plant in the scene, sourced by the props team from a New Zealand native grass.
Asilas, also known as the "King's Herb" in the original, symbolized healing for the king. Aragorn, descended from Isildur and Elendil, was a born healer, and although he couldn't save Frodo, he later healed Eowyn and Faramir.
This aspect of Aragorn's character and his skills were part of Tolkien's original writing, as evidenced by the Gondorian proverb: "The Hand of the King is the Hand of a Healer!"
After a quick inspection of the set, Duke went back to the director's monitors and signaled for the crew to prepare.
The script supervisor immediately took the clapperboard and placed it in front of the camera. "Scene 69, Take 2, now beginning!"
Duke's focus was mostly on Alessandra Ambrosio as Arwen. This scene wasn't difficult for Viggo Mortensen, who had already gotten into character, but for Ambrosio, it was her first film role.
She remained expressionless, showing the most beautiful side of herself in front of the camera. The costume and makeup highlighted her pure yet noble aura. The tight-fitting elven warrior costume accentuated her slender figure, perfectly capturing Tolkien's depiction of elves.
However, as it was her first time, Ambrosio's inexperience showed. When she placed the curved sword against Viggo Mortensen's neck, she didn't control the angle properly and scratched Aragorn's torn costume.
"Cut!"
Duke immediately called for a stop, and Ambrosio immediately apologized with a smile. "Sorry, I didn't control the movement well."
"Keep the feeling from just now!" Duke instructed. After the actors repositioned themselves, he called out, "Action!"
After two more failed takes, they finally got it right. Most of the scenes filmed that day involved Alessandra Ambrosio, and many of her scenes were with Aragorn. The crew also started filming Rivendell, which had been carefully constructed for the movie.
The picturesque elven valley in the film was mostly made with set pieces and blue screens for wide shots, with carefully crafted props for close-ups. They were so exquisitely made that even Billy Boyd commented that after filming ended, he'd try to collect a set, as even the British royal family's utensils couldn't compare to them.
Duke promised that the main actors, like Ambrosio and the Fellowship, would receive thoughtful gifts from the crew once their respective scenes were completed.
As filming progressed day by day, Duke also organized some leisure activities to help the crew relax. After all, balancing work and rest was key, and not everyone was a workaholic.