Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Ian McKellen on the set of the Hobbit. Photo / File
Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Ian McKellen on the set of the Hobbit. Photo / File
Sir Ian McKellen has revealed it was the "magical landscape" of New Zealand and working with Sir Peter Jackson that enticed him into in his role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Reflecting on 20 years since filming for the blockbuster franchise began, McKellen posted a linkto a blog he kept during his time shooting in New Zealand during 2000.
"If it weren't the director of Heavenly Creatures in control, with a strong vision of all those precise, quirky, majestic locations, I should not much look forward to a full year away from my home in London," McKellen wrote, shortly before he travelled to New Zealand.
"But Peter Jackson's designs, script and his unshowy dedication to the task are irresistible."
"The Queen is on the banknotes (although they are made of a non-creasable, washable, transparent plastic) and there is scandal about Prince Edward in "Women's Weekly" which would be considered too racy for even the UK tabloids.
"It all seems half-familiar with a style of friendliness that is a change from English reserve.
"I feel very much at home."
20 years ago, I arrived New Zealand to begin filming "The Lord of the Rings." I joined the cast on January 10, 2000. During that time, I kept a journal, which today would be called a blog Perhaps you'll enjoy reading about those heady times: https://t.co/bJ6Nsqgwi2
Actor Sir Ian McKellen at the premiere of the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in New York in 2012. Photo / File
During his year in New Zealand McKellen lived in Miramar, Wellington, "only five minutes away from Seatoun, where Peter Jackson lives permanently with his family on the coast road directly below me".
But it was the natural environment - particularly in the South Island - that McKellen loved the most.
"New Zealand would amaze and enrapture anyone who responds to the wild landscapes of Middle-earth.
"Although I am a chronic townee, I have always been smitten by mountains and water, particularly in the Lake District of my native northern England.
"In New Zealand there really is a natural untouched wilderness and it is overwhelmingly spectacular and moving."
He noted the North Island was more of a "playground with beaches, hot springs and fishing".
"It is generally warmer and the cell phones work. Yet each time I spy the interisland ferry chugging past my Wellington window for the two-hour sail south across the Cook Strait which separate the islands, I envy its passengers."
Some of his fondest memories included flying over Milford Sound, and waking up to find a right whale "cavorting in the shallows" of Golden Bay below his accommodation.
"Indeed, my enthusiasm for the New Zealand I've seen beyond the movie's locations has been an added reward for a year's work away from home."
Despite the overwhelming critical acclaim and numerous award nominations for Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King, McKellen never got his big Oscars moment.
The only nod he received was a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Fellowship.
Although McKellen missed out, the trilogy still raked in a whopping 17 Oscars wins from 30 nominations.
