Now that filming on The Lord Of The Rings has finished, John Horde, B! Offline's star "Lord of the Rings" on-set reporter has taken the opportunity to get in touch with one of the stars of the movie and ask him some probing questions about the movie and his experiences on set.
Hello, Hobbit-lovers, now that Peter Jackson has reached the end of principal photography on his mega-epic, I decided to get in touch with Sir Ian McShane who, as you all know, is playing Gandalf. Sir Ian is now back at his home in Britain after months in New Zealand so, I wrote to his agent and Sir Ian kindly agreed to a phone interview. It was rather daunting speaking to a giant of stage and screen but, I steeled myself and phoned from the Wellington office. Here is the complete transcript of what turned out to be a very illuminating and interesting interview.
Sir Ian McShane
JH: Hello, Sir Ian, it's John Horde from B! Offline... you agreed to give me an interview...?
IM: Oh right... yes I remember. (coughs) Let me just get a sip of water. OK, right, fire away.
JH: Ahem, well, good afternoon, Sir Ian!
IM: Uh, it's about three in the morning.
JH: Oh, er, right, well it's afternoon here.
IM: That's OK.
JH: Firstly, Sir Ian, let me say thank you for agreeing to this interview
IM: Sorry, but you shouldn't call me "Sir Ian"
JH: Right. You like to keep it informal, I suppose
IM: No, it's not that at all. It's just that I haven't been knighted.
JH: And... does that make a difference?
IM: Yes - you can't call me "Sir"
JH: So it's like an honorary thing then?
IM: What is?
JH: The "Sir" thing.
IM: No. You just can't call me "Sir Ian" at all. OK?
JH: Right. Ok then Sir Ian. Ian. Erm... right.. OK... well you have achieved international fame in the BBC series "Lovejoy".
IM: Well, I suppose so, yes.
JH: And what part did you play in the series?
IM: Lovejoy.
JH: Yes. What part did you play?
IM: Lovejoy. I played the part of Lovejoy. The dodgy antique dealer after whom
the program is named. The central character. It was called The Lovejoy Mysteries in the US.
Sir Ian McShane as Lovejoy
IM: Yes. That was quite a while ago though.
JH: OK, but you aren't completely unknown to the global audience.
IM: Well, I er... I don't know whether I would go that far (laughs).
JH: Don't be too harsh on yourself! Right... er... have you read The Lord Of The Rings?
IM: What? Er... well... yes I read it in the 1960s. I was quite a fan at the time.
JH: So you must be quite excited about the film.
IM: The film? Oh right, yes, someone is making a film. Yes, it should be good.
JH: And how much can you tell us about it?
IM: Well, I only know as much as anyone who reads the trade papers.
JH: Oh I see - you've been sworn to secrecy then. Signed some kind of confidentiality agreement, I imagine.
IM: Sorry? Look I really don't know what you're driving at.
JH: Right. Well, erm, OK, did you strike up any friendships on the set? You know, with the other actors?
IM: Oh, yes. I still see a lot of the people from Lovejoy from time to time.
JH: But what about The Lord Of The Rings?
IM: What about The Lord Of The Rings?
JH: The people on the set there...
IM: I don't know who's on the set there!
JH: Well, obviously no-one is, now; they've finished filming.
IM: Sorry, but just stop for a minute. Why do you keep asking me about The Lord Of The Rings? I really don't know much about it. In fact I don't know anything about it.
JH: So they are keeping everyone in the dark as much as possible, like George Lucas with his special scripts?
IM: Look - I don't know anything about the b****y thing! At all! Really, if you want to ask me some sensible questions then go ahead, otherwise, we'll finish the interview now and I can go back to bed!
JH: Right. Sorry.
IM: No, I'm sorry. I'm just a bit tired, that's all. Sorry for snapping.
JH: No, no that's quite alright. OK, on with the questions. How did you prepare for the part of Gandalf - did you re-read the books?
IM: What???
Unfortunately, at this point the phone connection was lost and, despite a number of attempts, I was unable to make contact again.
It is refreshing to see an actor taking his confidentiality agreements so seriously. You have to admit that he was a pretty tough cookie - it wasn't easy even for a seasoned interviewer like myself to get any information out of him. It might be frustrating for the fans but you can't criticise Sir Ian's loyalty to the production.