(One Ring Celebration, Burbank, CA, March 10, 2007)
This is just from my notes, not a transcript! Corrections and additions gratefully accepted.
[big applause]
DAVID WENHAM: This is a pretty fabulous reception, I feel like I'm on the Actor's Studio. Regarding LOTR questions: my long-term memory is appalling. [audience laughter]
Q: Big contrast between the book and movie Faramir, do you feel remorse for not playing the book version?
A: Ultimately, I've got to say, when I first read the script, and in discussions with Peter and Philippa and Fran, I was concerned with the drastic liberty taken. They were making a big change, altering the character. But going on the journey with Peter, who spent so much time in the first film making the ring so powerful, would have undermined the theme so, worked really well for the movie.
Q: What was your favorite scene that you were in, and favorite that you were not in?
A: Don't know really. Tricky. There was not just one scene for me that was more special than any others. I would pinch myself on set, thinking how incredible the experience was. When Faramir rides out on the suicide mission, the landscape is so incredible. I remember being on the horse, dozens of horsemen next to me, beautiful scenery surrounding me, thinking It doesn't get any better than this.
[that he wasn't in] I have favorite little bits, the scenes between Frodo and Sam. Sam was my favorite character in the book.
Q: What about playing such a character who is so unloved?
A: Extreme emotions make for really good drama, great film moments. Parts of the character that made him really special. Being so unloved makes for a really good story line.
Q: What was it like to work with John Noble? He said he never talked to people off camera
A: It really helped with playing my character, because you didn't have to suspend belief very much. I didn't know John from Australia, didn't have much to do with each other off the set. Came to each other from a neutral place, no baggage or perceptions.
I was the second-last actor to arrive on set, they'd been filming for about 10 years before [audience laughs]. They were all so close, which helped my character, being an outsider, it helped John Noble as well.
Q: About a recent movie of his, "Married Life"
A: It's based on an English novella, great cast. I wasn't there for long, but I play a writer, philandering writer. Lot of fun. Don't want to give away the whole movie.
Q: What was it like to work with Sean Bean?
A: When I arrived in Wellington, Sean had wrapped about 3 months before, we never met during principal photography. Only later, during pickups, we finally shot the flashback scene. It was terrific, we loved doing that scene, important moment in the film, see the family as a unit, the fact that the brothers do have a great relationship with each other.
Q: 300 rocks. What are your other projects?
A: After this weekend here, which is fabulous, go to London for 300 premier. Then back to Australia, Baz Lurman's Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, a big epic romantic adventure set in Australia in the late 30s, early 40s.
Q: Why did you play Diver Dan on Sea Change for only one season?
A: [laughs] On the national network, Sunday night, no one watched then, but suddenly the show was number 1 in Australia. I had "out" option in my contract, I wanted to quit when he was ahead, also planned to do another movie. I do love that television program.
Q: What part of 300 was the most challenging?
A: Getting my head around the fact that all we'd be wearing was leather codpieces [audience laughs]. Then just doing it: all the guys say we do wish we were as fit as we were back then, but we're not. We trained in own countries and then met in Montreal and trained for two months and during 3 month shoot. Extremely fit once upon a time - trained until you think you're going to pass our or vomit.
Q: Do you prefer comedic or dramatic characters?
A: I actually don't have a preference. My preference is for something that begins with really good writing. Having said that, I've done quite a lot of drama and action stuff in the last few years, want to do more comedy.
Q: Did you make any lasting friendships on LOTR?
A: Absolutely, a bond that will stay with us forever, it was unique.
Q: About your scenes with Eowyn in ROTK?
A: My very first scene I shot in New Zealand for Lord of the Rings was the two of us standing, after the Houses of Healing, the two of us together, towards the end of the film. It happens so often, you end up shooting the end of the film at the start. Miranda was relatively new then too, we didn't have much rehearsal, just jumped in the deep end. I really enjoyed the parts in the Houses of Healing.
[audience awwwws]
Q; What was the most difficult part of playing Faramir?
A: Riding was a challenge, for quite some time I didn't get on with my horse. I've ridden in other times, but I couldn't get on with the horse, it turned out to have a slight injury, so we changed horses.
Q: [complicated question about his favorite film]
A: "Getting Squared" an Australian film, comedy, set in a courtroom, it has my favorite scene, I wouldn't change anything in it.
Q: Did you film at 12 Mile Delta? South Island, outside of Queenstown, where Frodo and Sam saw the Oliphant.
A: Yes, I did. New Zealand is so beautiful, breathtaking, overwhelming in its beauty, the more so the farther south you go.
Q: In the movie 'Better Than Sex', you spend time run around in underwear and imitating animals. Is it easier with leather and red cape? And would you do your meerakt imitation?
[after a pause, he does a meerkat -- audience laughs. ]
A: Don't know about easier. As my mother would say, it's just different. When I said yes to doing the 300, I hadn't read the graphic novel [so he went and bought a copy]. The first appearance in the book, my character's sitting by the fire telling the story, and he's in the nude. Everyone in the movie had that response. Luckily we knew we were going to be in training. All I said when I met the costume designer was, "help"?
Q: Van Helsing fan, curious about sequel.
A: [shakes his head] I don't think there's gonna be a sequel
Q: Your portrait won an award in Australia?
A: The Archibald prize, the most prestigious and richest art prize in Australia, been going for maybe a hundred years in Australia. A portrait of myself won the prize about six years ago. [It was] sort of a contentious because it was done with very bright colors and very few brush strokes. I wish I'd bought it, for future generations. It's very difficult to track down who bought the portrait, we think we know who has it, an English musician, it's a matter of contacting them.
Q: [japanese fan] What do you think of Japan?
A: I always wanted to go to Japan, [I went] when Van Helsing was released, and it was wild. It was exactly how I imagined it, I stayed in the Lost in Translation hotel. So different from the culture that I come from. Fascinating place, a feast for the senses, food, eyes and the ears, people are friendly.
Q: The LOTR Faramir costume seemed to have multiple layers
A: The warmth helped in New Zealand in the winter, as you can see, they're heavy. They're not actually conducive to movement, but you get used to it. I loved the Ranger costume, I loved the look of it, the design. One that was hard to get used to was the 'Tin Man' outfit on the suicide mission. It was hard to wear that and ride at the same time. It became a little bit of an issue.
Q: Who would you choose if you could work with any director?
A: Peter Weir. I think he's an incredible director, not just because he's Australian, because he's done so many moves but every one of those movies is unique and different and not like any others. He does something unusual, uses music on set. While you're doing a scene he has music that may be in the film, or just some mood music.
[Audience member gives him Mardi Gras bead necklaces, which add a pleasant air of decadence]
Q: How did you get the nickname Daisy?
A: In Australia, we do everything we can to shorten anything, we're very lazy people. If someone's name was Gary, we'd call him Gars. David got shortened to Das, then my sister put a Y at the end. We're just bloody lazy in Australia. [audience laughs] When you have a child in Australia, you're thinking of children's names, what can a name be that isn't going to be shortened? But there's no name that can't be shortened.
Q: The 300, how much was blue screen shooting?
A: 100% in front of a blue screen. Which is better than a green screen, because the color of the green, if you looked at it every day for three months you want to do something bad to yourself. It's challenging, in Lord of the Rings, to imagine things that aren't there, because you don't know how big they're going to be. With The 300, all the actors were physically there. the blue screen was there purely to put the environment in.
Q: Boxers or briefs?
A: I've changed over the years, used to be briefs but now I'm gonna go towards boxers. So now you know.
Q: Had you read the Lord of the Rings books before being cast, and were you first choice for Faramir?
A: I hadn't read the books, I'd love to say that I did. That was a nice revelation to encounter the books for the first time, explore a world. The books became the bible for all of us. Was I the first choice, yes. [mentions that someone else (Orlando) had auditioned for it]
Q: Actor's Studio question: what is your favorite curse word?
A: [looks disconcerted, says it's a family event] The f word slips out every now and again
Q: You spoke at Steve Irwin's memorial, were you close to him?
A: I did a movie with Steve Irwin called 'Collision Course', an experimental movie, director shot half the film with Steve [on tape?], the other half using 35 mm film and tried to put the film together. I got to know Steve quite well and am close friends with one of his producers. We kept in touch, Steve's wife asked me if I'd read a poem for his memorial.
Q: Is the new Baz Lurhman movie going to be a musical?
A: Not a musical, actually. The first three films that Baz did, he calls his Red Curtain trilogy, three films in that style, always adamant he was going to change. Suffice to say it's extremely ambitious, the biggest film ever to be shot in Australia. Not a war picture, a romantic adventure, set during japanese invasion of northern Australia, not many people even know it happened.
Q: During filming LOTR, you had a stand-in use sword on Elijah's neck?
A: True, the sword is razor sharp and it was on Elijah's neck, I said, 'I don't really need to be doing this, they can't tell who's hand it is, get someone else to do it.'
Q: Your favorite thing about Australia?
A: The sky: each time i go back, i'm always amazed at how high and how light the sky is.
Q: filming in NZ, Faramir, how has it changed you?
A: I've got a really really really small kiwi accent. No, I lied. [audience laughs] I don't know if it's change me as a person, but it's given me an experience for my life, friendships. If Wellington didn't have that wind i'd consider moving there.
Q; What was the worst battle scene to shoot?
A: One I wasn't in, Helm's Deep. [stuff about how the others had to try and sleep days] shoot at night, in the rain, turned the people just slightly crazy. I drew the lucky straw on that one.
Q: You're doing a film with Fred Schepisi?
A: Yes, my name is attached. I hope the money will come about.
Q: What would you do other than being an actor?
A: God only knows! Um. Uh. Look I don't know, I'd love to be really independently wealthy, if I had that I'd just keep traveling, go to art galleries throughout the world. Now I spend a lot of time in art galleries. I'd be a professional art-gallery-goer.
Q: When did you start acting?
A: When I finished school I went to Acting school, I was 18, my first job at 21. [when he was young] I had puppet shows at home and I'd try to make my mum and dad laugh.
Q: Do you have souvenirs from LOTR?
A: I have a heap of stuff that Peter doesn't know about, I'd make a fortune off ebay! [audience laughs] Seriously, each of the key cast members, when they finished their last day, Peter and the producers presented each with a present and with the clapper board. I've got my sword.
Q: Do you prefer comedic or dramatic characters?