Dominic Monaghan

RINGERS Narrator Dominic Monaghan played that young upstart Merry Brandybuck seen in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Now shooting his new T.V. series Lost for ABC, Dominic will also be seen in an exclusive interview for Ringers -- sharing great stories and memories of how he first heard of J.R.R. Tolkien!
Visit Dom's unofficial fansite here.

Peter Jackson

His film career started with a lot of fake blood, zombie babies, and muppets on acid. But what happened after is the stuff Hollywood legends are made of. Peter Jackson co-wrote, produced, and directed the most successful adaptation of Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” ever attempted causing a worldwide frenzy among Ringer fans; while introducing new audiences to the adventures of Frodo and the Fellowship for the first time. This remarkable filmmaker has generously shared his insights on the legacy of Tolkien during an exclusive interview with Cliff for RINGERS.

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood has starred in countless movies, his career starting at the tender age of 9, when he starred in Barry Levinson’s Avalon. Then there was Radio Flyer, Forever Young, The Good Son, Flipper, Deep Impact, and dozens of others, as the boy grew up to become a captivating leading man. His work as Frodo Baggins silenced any question of him being stuck in the “faded child star” category. Though he is now catapulted to the heights of fame, Elijah still manages to keep it real. His enthusiasm for J.R.R. Tolkien and the Ringer experience is evident throughout his interview for RINGERS. One thing is for sure, Elijah knows a good book when he sees one, as easily as he knows a great rock song. He’s a Ringer for the ages. The Elijah Wood Fan Network can be
Found Here

Ian McKellen

Adored by Ringers the world over for breathing life into the iconic character of Gandalf, Sir Ian is certainly at the top of his game in the worlds of cinema and stagecraft. His wisdom is really quite wizardly, as the Ringers team discovered when they sat down to chat with Sir Ian in December 2003.
Check out his fantastic official site here.

Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen has fairly earned the title ‘Renaissance Man.’ Equal parts actor, photographer, poet, and philosopher, he is unique in among the Hollywood elite. Yet that term doesn’t seem to apply, as Viggo is the most down-to-earth and soft spoken of any Hollywood actor you’re likely to meet. He gave a most revealing interview for RINGERS, wherein the audience can see deep considerations of Tolkien’s complicated themes would become the bedrock of his interpretation of Aragorn. When the camera crew said, “We’re out of time,” Viggo quickly said to interviewer Cliff Broadway: “I wish we had more time, perhaps we can continue this discussion another day.” -- A perfect showing of generosity that he has shown to Ringer fans worldwide at all his appearances. Be sure to check out the Viggo Chronicles Here
Photo courtesy of
Ian Smith

Sean Astin

Sean Astin brings a special quality to his work. It seems as if his own unique generosity is permanently etched onto every character, an organic truth of his own life brought forward to his performances. Sean hails from a true showbiz family, being the son of Patty Duke and John Astin. From The Goonies, to Rudy, and on to his heartbreaking portrayal of Samwise Gamgee in LOTR, Sean has found his way into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere. The RINGERS team was thrilled to chat with Sean about his take on all things Tolkien. He is a very special man who knows what matters most -- in his own heart and the hearts of his characters. His official website can be Found Here.

Photo courtesy of
Ian Smith

Billy Boyd

The young lad named Billy Boyd hails from Scotland, where he attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. No one knew exactly how charming and affable he would become in the role of Pippin Took -- but Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh knew, and a brilliant piece of casting sealed the deal. Billy Boyd has granted the RINGERS team his own delightful viewpoint on both the Pippin phenomenon and the overreaching Tolkien experience as well. He will be heard as the voice of “Glen” in the upcoming Seed of Chucky, playing the murderous doll’s new progeny. Visit his official site here.

Photo courtesy of
Ian Smith

Andy Serkis

The man behind the 'Gollum' is of course Andy Serkis -- and he broke the very mold of what an actor can achieve in today's high-tech world of CGI movie-making with his strenuously brilliant work. Andy was thrilled to provide special insight into his nefarious character when Cliff interviewed him in Wellington, NZ during the world premiere weekend for ROTK. Visit Andy's official site here

John Rhys-Davies

Veteran actor John Rhys-Davies has appeared in countless films -- most fans know him from the most successful genre films of all time, the Indiana Jones movies (as Sala) and now The Lord of the Rings, filling the boots of the boisterous Gimli and giving us the gentle voice of Treebeard. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for the epic 1980 T.V. event Shogun. John is equal parts gregarious and wise -- his interview for RINGERS shows the same affection for Tolkien as seen among his legions of fans. His official site is coming soon, to see more Click Here.

 

 

Photo courtesy of
Ian Smith

Philippa Boyens

The RINGERS spotlight shines on Philippa Boyens, who spoke with Cliff in Wellington, New Zealand, about many facets of Tolkien’s work and the difficulties of story adaptation. Prior to working on the Rings Trilogy, Philippa worked in theatre as a playwright, and also as teacher, producer and editor. Rings was her first feature screenplay, co-written with Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson; and the project would lead her on a fantastic journey comparable to any of the characters from the story. Philippa won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 2004 for The Return of the King. But that glittering prize was not as difficult to earn as was the trust of hardcore Ringer fans. Philippa is currently hard at work with Fran and PJ on the King Kong remake.

Photo courtesy of
Ian Smith

Barrie Osborne

The very definition of a creative producer, Barrie Osborne brings more to the table than most directors deserve. He has worked on such films as The Big Chill, the first in the Child’s Play series, and of course the groundbreaking The Matrix. Winner of the Best Picture Oscar for The Return of the King, Barrie truly knows how to bring creative resources together. His generous interview for RINGERS includes a frank appraisal of the power of mythology within Tolkien’s pages and its effect on the audience.

Clive Barker

Clive is one of the best known and best selling authors in the horror and fantasy genre. He created the frightening Hellraiser series and the magical "Abarat" books. We recently sat down with Clive to learn the reasons why he became a storyteller and a "sub-creator" of myths as Tolkien once did.
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David Carradine

He is The Man. Yes, David Carradine star of 70's series Kung Fu and recently seen on screen in Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 is himself a longtime Tolkien fan. He had some great things to say about Tolkien, the books, and the animated 1978 Lord of the Rings.
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Peter S. Beagle

A legend himself in the fantasy world, Peter S. Beagle provided us with some great insights during his interview -- some funny, some profound. Peter is best known for his novel "The Last Unicorn" and also worked on the script for the Ralph Bakshi animated Rings film.
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Terry Pratchett

Author of the wildly successful "Discworld" books and co-author of "Good Omens" (with Neil Gaiman), Terry Pratchett is an uber-talent of the fantasy genre. The Ringers team asked him some of the toughest questions -- and Terry offered a brilliant discussion of Tolkien's work and the state of the Fantasy Industry today.
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Terry Brooks

With an ongoing string of bestsellers, Terry Brooks is a powerhouse in the world of speculative fiction. He is the author of "The Shannara" fantasy series and the deliciously fun "Magic Kingdom of Landover" books. Terry opened his heart and mind before our cameras, speaking on how J.R.R. Tolkien originally presented the fantasy genre with its penultimate adventure story.
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Lemmy Kilmister

Lemmy Kilmister: If you like your metal loud and nasty, then Lemmy is
your guy. For over twenty years he has been the driving force behind the
band Motorhead. No stranger to controversy, Lemmy found himself
smack in the middle of 60’s swinging London when he discovered the
underground Middle Earth Club! During a ribald interview replete with
booze and racy stories, we found out what Lemmy loves most about
Tolkien’s books and how the greatest rockers of the era were inspired by
mushroom-chewing hobbits. Find out more here.

 

Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee, bassist and lead singer for the seminal rock group Rush, was thrilled to speak with Cliff on camera about the power of J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories. He describes how the world of Rock & Roll was forever changed by “The Lord of the Rings.” The fine connections between these two art forms is sharply drawn by Geddy, as he explains the wonderful influence of Middle-earth on his early songwriting. The song “Rivendell” became Rush’s personal tribute to Tolkien, being written at a period when the most influential of rockers used Tolkien references in their most classic songs.

Forrest J. Ackerman

Creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland, "Uncle Forry" had a cameo in Peter Jackson's film Dead Alive and served as the literary agent for Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, L. Ron Hubbard, and Ed Wood to name a few. Ringers is his 107th appearance in a feature film, where he shared the remarkable story of bringing the earliest movie script treatment of The Lord of the Rings to Professor Tolkien's home in Oxford!
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Bill Mumy

Danger, Will Robinson! Once known as Billy Mumy from the 60's television classic Lost in Space and the creepy kid from that Twilight Zone episode, Bill Mummy recently starred on several seasons of Babylon 5. He took time to discuss The Beatles and Tolkien with us.
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Chris Gore

Filmmaker/writer Chris Gore is founder and Editor in Chief of FilmThreat.com, the definitive source for all independent filmmakers, and he held court with us at the San Diego Comic-Con. Chris' love for "The Lord of the Rings" movies (and abuse of George Lucas) was thrilling to capture on film. He's a firestarter, this one!
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Jill Thompson

Eisner award-winner Jill Thompson is best known for the whimsical Scary Godmother books and her haunting illustrations for neil Gaiman's classic "The Sandman" comics. She appears in Ringers inside our special confessional booth where she admits she wants to move to Hobbiton (don't we all?).

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Colleen Doran

A favorite of the comic-book world, Colleen illustrated "The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook" as well as such classics as Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman," "Orbiter," and created her own epic series "A Distant Soil." Colleen came to the producers of Ringers with a rare treat: sharing with us some of her earliest drawings and sketches -- of Tolkien characters!
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Brian Sibley

The author of many books including"The Map of Tolkien's Middle-earth," "The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide,""Chicken Run: Hatching the Movie," and "The Land of Narnia: Exploring the World of C.S. Lewis." Ringers caught up with Brian in England where he discussed adapting LOTR for The BBC Radio in the 1980's.
Visit Brian's official site here.