Why JOHN RHYS-DAVIES Had Such a Harsh Reaction to Being Cast as GIMLI in LORD OF THE RINGS

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John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones, The Lord of the Rings) joins us this week for one of my favorite interviews yet. The guy is prolific! He gets into everything from his pessimism heading into Lord of the Rings, the intimidation of working alongside Sean Connery, the immense difficulty of filming Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, and so much more. John was an open book this week, going on to talk about the pain of losing a child, his outlook on life after death, and the current vacuum of creativity our industry is stuck in. Hope you enjoy.
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Why JOHN RHYS-DAVIES Had Such a Harsh Reaction to Being Cast as GIMLI in LORD OF THE RINGS #insideofyou #johnrhysdavies #lotr

[@Guilhermemezari]

Christ he's indeed perfect to be an angry dwarf.

[@DonMeaker]

Except for the '6 foot tall' part.

[@samanthab1923]

Right? And ManRay on SpongeBob

[@Frosty_tha_Snowman]

Gimli was always reluctant to do anything, and his attitude perfectly reflects that 😂

[@kaibe5241]

Funny how that wasn't an issue for the hobbits.@@DonMeaker

[@vespenegas261]

My thoughts exactly

[@matthewgraham790]

He really said 'Certainty of death, small chance of success. What are we waiting for?'

[@TheRedHorseman1208]

lmfao A+ comment

[@captainclyde5082]

😂😂

[@johnclawed]

I just realized that describes life.

[@hoarder1919]

no, he actually said "Certainty of death, small chance of success. I'm outta here losers" but then Legolas grabbed him by the nuts and said "You ain't going nowhere honey"

[@LolsAtLance]

5 star comment lmao

[@terrylong8894]

Wow. John Rhys Davis went to New Zealand fully expecting to find a trainwreck and wound up starring in a masterpiece.

[@stanknugget]

Nah. That Trilogy sucks.

[@phj223]

It's quite amazing. From JRD:s perspective, this whole thing could just have a been a straight to vhs/dvd movie, an absolute embarrassment of a production for everyone involved or even connected to it, like one of those many weird fantasy and/or sci-fi movies that basically ended the careers of some actors. o.O

[@aarorissanen930]

@@stanknugget Bait used to be believable, subpar attempt at trolling

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

And was one of the first ones to realize it. I still remember from the Appendicies of the Extended Editions how incredibly moved he was by the experience from his farewell speech on his last day of shooting.

[@SaberRexZealot]

@@stanknugget love to hear what you’d change to make it good

[@NealX_Gaming]

The irony of this man playing a dwarf when he is like 7 feet tall still gets me.

[@John3.36]

His double played most scenes.

[@letsburn00]

It was a big factor in getting it. Since dwarves are taller than Hobbits. He could just be put in with them and didn't need to be split out as a third one.

[@mkv2718]

@@John3.36only in wide shots. there’s a reason so much of movie is in close up

[@YTEdy]

He's closer to 6'1 I think. Not even that tall, but the actors picked to play the hobbits were all in the 5'6 range.

[@samuelrichardson1564]

@@John3.36 Yep - I was an extra in Helm's Deep and I never saw this guy lol - it was always his stunt double who was doing it instead of being a jockey lol

[@Amadeus8484]

Peter Jackson: "We tried multiple times but we finally got him." John Rhys Davis: "THAT STILL ONLY COUNTS AS ONE!"

[@wymondleystrong274rep6]

😂😂😂

[@jwoellhof]

JRD shows up to NZ all worked up with an exit strategy that included acting like an angry old dwarf, in order to convince them that he was not who they wanted to be their angry old dwarf.

[@Sabrowsky]

"old"? Gimli is like, the dwarf equivalent of in his mid 20s

[@SuperCanayaZ]

You have to thank the children of the actors for convincing their parents to take these roles. Viggo's eldest son also told his father that he should accept the role of Aragon when it was offered to Viggo.

[@n.l.4626]

A pity Daniel Day-Lewis didn't have such a kid.

[@BaldorfBreakdowns]

The voice and mo-cap actor for Kratos in the Norse God of War games also took that role 'cause of his kid.

[@williambodin5359]

From the mouths of babes.

[@maxi1ification]

⁠@@n.l.4626Daniel Day-Lewis DID want the role very much though, he didn't need a kid to convince him. It was, supposedly, Jackson who changed his mind when taking into consideration the fact that Day-Lewis was considered notoriously difficult to work with.

[@andreamiller3578]

Christopher Judge? Big fan of his from Stargate. Always thought he deserved bigger roles after show since he is so talented. Glad to see him succeed with God of War. @@BaldorfBreakdowns

[@DuncanJimmy]

The rivalry and banter between Gimli and Legolas is easily one of the best things about the trilogy. Still remains, IMHO, one of the best trilogies ever made.

[@blackc1479]

Agreed on both points. So then, votes for the three best trilogies (nonumvitate?)? I'll go w LOTR, SW and BTTF.

[@ossihurme7572]

@@blackc1479 I don't think any other trilogy comes even close. And I wouldn't even call myself a Tolkien fan (but then again I think fans as some who wear apparel, have posters, go to conventions or are active on forums). I was thinking this and I really like Back to the Future but you can't compare the epicness and emotions that LoTR brings. Even if we could call Star Wars a trilogy these days, I don't think it comes even close. I understand that originals are very important to many people but they aren't even very good sci-fi, heck they're not even best Star Wars medium. I actually haven't seen The Godfather from beginning to end but people seem to think it's masterpiece. Could that be up there?

[@AishaIsFabulous-x-]

"I didn't think I'd die side by side with an Elf." "What about side by side with a friend?" "Aye. I can do that." 💀😭 -x-

[@butcherjsy8]

@@ossihurme7572 It's the best trilogy ever, bar none!

[@jedironin380]

@@AishaIsFabulous-x- Shall I describe it to you? Or would you like me to find you a box? 🤣

[@xavierpaquin]

That LOTR came out at the level of quality that it did is a miracle

[@JnEricsonx]

When he made stuff like Dead Alive, Bad Taste, etc, he was brilliantly INSANE. When he did LOTR, he was insanely BRILLIANT.

[@mrhed0nist]

Especially when you consider the competition. Dungeons & Dragons movie came out about the same time as Fellowship and had above average production values when compared to most other fantasy films. LOTR made it look like it was made by kids.

[@JnEricsonx]

@@mrhed0nist We don't speak of that movie.

[@Jpoteet52]

​@@JnEricsonx I mean, who doesn't like pink lipstick? Guys? Anyone?

[@JnEricsonx]

@@Jpoteet52Meanwhile, I loved the new film, and I love LOVM and Critical Role. That plus I have finally been able to start playing D&D at 45. Wanted to for years, but finally am playing it.

[@mrquirky3626]

I feel like John Rhys-Davies and Brian Blessed are secretly brothers separated at birth. They both have the same boisterous energy and grand gravitas that makes all of their characters so memorable.

[@webs538]

Gordon’s Alive???????

[@JnEricsonx]

@@webs538Kenneth Branagh wanted Brian for Odin FFS!

[@Greenwoodland]

@@webs538Are you ReTahded?!?!

[@Lurklen]

God, Brian Blessed as a Tolkien Dwarf would be fantastic.

[@RoachDoggJunior]

John Rhys-Davies seems like a pretty big asshole honestly, Brian Blessed is a boisterous teddybear of a man

[@wallywest2360]

He's such a legend. IMO his Gimli is the gold standard for how a fantasy dwarf should be portrayed. The trilogy was great, but he definitely elevated it. Can't imagine anyone else in that role.

[@jedironin380]

I've been a big fan of John Rhys Davies for years! Stellar actor.

[@lavrentivs9891]

I was (and still is) annoyed that they made Gimli a comic relief character though, I would have prefered him to have been a more serious character.

[@mattnar3865]

@@lavrentivs9891If anything Legolas would have been the better comic relief, It's easier to imagine a supernatural elf being silly rather than the serious, grumpy dwarf.

[@Th3BigBoy]

They did Gimli dirty. He was essentially made a clown.

[@windowlicker2846]

In the books he's a much deeper character. He's the reason I started playing Dwarfs in Warhammer as well, so it was a bit disappointing seeing how he was made into this silly character far from the book attributes.

[@CanImperator]

After all, it was considered un-filmable. Sean Connery even passed on the role of Gandalf. John's skepticism was pretty reasonable. But I'm glad he stuck around and Peter Jackson proved the doubters wrong.

[@current9300]

Connery passing on role was funny because the reason he gave after reading the script was "I don't get it".

[@potato9832]

It's good he didn't take it then. Actors should take only roles they understand. It's in line with his character though. He played more traditional roles. He clearly wasn't into fantasy. @@current9300

[@marcdaniels9079]

Connery would have been a total disaster ! Sir Ian was seminal.

[@mickk8519]

@@marcdaniels9079 Lee wasn't Gandalf.

[@stephencarmickle]

I am so glad connery was not gandalf. Cannot imagine that at all…

[@MrLuccatoni]

There's Sean Connery's sibilants, there's James Earl Jones resonance, there's Alan Rickman's diction, there's Jeremy Irons nasal tones and there's the joyous, clear sound of Rhys Davies

[@DYKWINNING]

Met John at Comic Con about 13 years ago, I was still a teenager, he gave some great advice: "Don't smoke the devils lettuce, you'll lose serious IQ points that you wont get back." Great guy!

[@user-xx9ie5ry3z]

Prof. Arturo was my favorite from sliders. Also great on Indiana Jones.

[@cane6074]

@@kuunami Arturo was a badass dude despite being a academic!

[@icarusfd4155]

My first memory of him was Paladin, support character of Mark Hamill in Wing Commander 3.

[@user-rw2uh5bv3o]

Shout out to Sliders ❤❤❤❤

[@user-wm3bf7pi3u]

Sliders was a fair attempt at doing Dr. Who in the states, they even tried to give a whole weird origin story to the kid and swap his appearance, but I wish they had kept up with the hotel, the desk clerk Will Sasso, could have been the same but different in each episode but they dropped him.

[@RVered]

I have a rudimentary knowledge of LOTR and Tolkien, so I was stunned to discover this man is 1.85m (6' 1), the tallest of the Fellowship actors! The effects and cinematography were so good that I never doubted he was a very short individual. Nowadays, when CGI and cinematography try to make someone appear bigger or smaller, it looks like a joke.

[@panda4247]

Ah, Gimli's optimism at its best. Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?

[@heavypen]

I think John Rhys Davis had a point about being skeptical. I interviewed Fran Walsh, one of the screenwriters, and she told me that they started filming with a 75-page treatment. Paraphrasing Walsh, she likened writing the first script to laying tracks before a speeding locomotive. I said, "You mean like Wile E Coyote?" And she said, "Yes, but with a little less grace." Met John Rhys Davis too... what a great cast. Fabulous group of people.

[@backtoklondike]

Plus really, everything about the trilogy was a massive red flag. An director and screenwriter whose biggest claim was that he made gory horror comedies? It's an adaption of book series that was deemed unfilmable? It's fantasy movie aimed for adults where the genre has always failing. The major a-list actors are the side characters and the main actors are either unknown or b-list. And I can just go on. So really, the fact that actors would turn down a role or be hesitant isn't being dumb because nobody would predict it would be up with some of the big epic movies.

[@Adamguy2003]

I met John too, a couple months ago at Megacon! Great guy!

[@jamesrutherford1475]

My understanding is that the initial cut of Fellowship was an absolute mess, but the studio had so much money tied into the trilogy that they commissioned extensive reshoots to make sure it worked.

[@michaelhawkins7389]

Fran Walsh is Peter Jackson's wife... she isn't just some random screenwriter

[@robertbrown3064]

Gruff, grumpy Welsh man shows everyone exactly why he was the only person who could have pulled off such an amazing performance as Gimli.

[@DavoInMelbourne]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@tonyug113]

hah - even comes from the 'iron' hills

[@ukstd1]

When you consider the magnitude or pure Dreck on youtube - how can this channel only have 182k subscribers??? its gold every time. The world has gone nuts.

[@simshengvue4642]

It’s because he has hair

[@MrDoenyon]

that's the clips channel, the main one has around 301k, should still be a lot more, but hey.

[@cattysplat]

@@schmiggidy True, it's such a shame there will never be honest interviews with actors. Everything is a promotion.

[@patmcbride9853]

I always picture him warning Indy about "bad dates".

[@nhamkp]

Yes! Me, too.

[@Charles_Bro-son]

"Sallah, I said no camels!"

[@advil000]

And do you realize how long ago that was? This guy has been smashing out good parts on screen and in games for a crazy long time.

[@VidkunQL]

A couple of his lines in "Shogun" are still ringing in my head. I was too young at the time to understand, but I realized later that it was the first time I was touched by great acting.

[@chasekays81]

Inglés!

[@Daergarz]

It actually hurts to watch the new show because almost every single actor in it pales in comparison to the original cast, and John is certainly at the top of that list.

[@Marunius]

@@DaergarzReally? I heard really good things about it.

[@Daergarz]

@@Marunius It's not bad, I just find it loses in the comparison.

[@Commanderziff]

Bruce Campbell has apparently refused to ever watch Lord Of the Rings, because at the time he was filming 'Jack of All Trades' in New Zealand, and they were forced to work with scraps because Jackson sucked up all the filming resources. Costimes, weapons, horses, crew, Jackson took all the best stuff in the entire country, forming a grudge that Bruce holds to this day. (Or at least at the time his last book was published.)

[@IronsteffL]

Great piece of trivia, thank you!

[@butcherjsy8]

He needs to get over it.

[@ThomB1031]

Jack of All Trades was a fun show while it lasted.

[@BigUriel]

That's just bad timing lol

[@user-uy6uc5ey5q]

Campbell narrative on this really this is horse shit. LOTR was in preproduction from 1995, and really had cranked up well before the Jack of trades was even off the drawing board. Plus it completely ignores the facts of film/TV production in NZ at the time where Jackson had really built a seperate independent studio and support system (including training up a lot of new people into Jacksons various support units) in Wellington almost entirely seperate from the more American TV show oriented (ie Hercules/Xena shows being basis of) Auckland production industry. Were there skilled crew drawn out of the Auckland industry into the LOTR production, sure, but it was completely predicable and able to be planned for by any half competent production management team. If they didn't then thats on Campbell and his fellow producers, not a fault with the LOTR production team.

[@Bendesho]

He was so great as Gimli. The only thing I didn't like about the Jackson LotR movies was how much they used Gimli for comic relief. Merry and Pippin were enough for comic relief, they didn't need to do it with Gimli as well; making him fall off his horse etc. The real Gimli in the book wasn't someone you ever laughed at, he was a fearsome tank of a warrior. When book Gimli and Legolas had an orc-killing contest in the battle at Helm's Deep, Gimli won.

[@davemiller6055]

I agree. And Gimli was a very wise Dwarf as well. Galadriel had respect for him. Gimli was allowed into the undying lands due to her influence. They totally disrespected the character in the film, in my opinion.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

"When book Gimli and Legolas had an orc-killing contest in the battle at Helm's Deep, Gimli won." That contest is in the movie as well. In the Extended Edition. And he does win in style.

[@Bendesho]

@@Quotenwagnerianer Oh did he really? All I remember is Gimli saying "Legolas! Two!" And Legolas says "I'm on seventeen" or some shit, like they're trying to show us Legolas is over 8 times more badass than Gimli. I don't remember Gimli winning

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

He did. Sitting on his last victim, his axe imbedded in his head.@@Bendesho

[@Cosper79]

I think it was fine. They needed comedy when the Hobbits weren't around and he fit the bill. I mean isn't every single member of the fellowship stoic warriors (save for the hobbits) I mean it would be very boring to watch.

[@Funkybassuk]

He’ll always be Prof. Arturo to me.

[@Seannyskillz]

FUCKING LOVE SLIDERS

[@cnmcginn1981]

I believe in my soul the wrong one slid! Means if there's a reboot, there's a chance they can find the real Arturo again, because the real one got treatment while he was stuck on one world.

[@StryveUK]

Mr. Malory! @@cnmcginn1981

[@Lazarus1095]

Which one? The real one, or the one who hitched a ride by accident?

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@@cnmcginn1981 they certainly left more than enough ambiguity in that episode’s ending to claim that if they chose to bring the show back!

[@JM-er2yl]

Gimli & Legolas' bromance was the best relationship in LOTRO.

[@ladyalaina42]

You mean friendship...as Tolkien wrote.

[@emeliakumi2399]

Their friendship surpass Frodo and Sam. That I agree

[@Zikar]

Lord of the Rings really was lightning in a bottle. The fact that the crew were both passionate and talented, the fact that the studio backed them all the way with huge budgets and resources, the quality of the actors, the fact that technology had just gotten to the point where they could convincingly pull off fully CGI creatures (but also not so cheap or easy to work with that they could do everything that way), the fact that the general audience were ready for a trilogy of super-long fantasy epics. Every single aspect at every single point was just the best it could have been and that's a miracle. It all just hit in a way that I don't think we'll see replicated for a long long time.

[@ToudaHell]

Sometimes when a super fan lead a project, they'd move heaven and he'll to have it done right. The fact they had other super fans in the cast and crew, and their families, made this a labour of absolute love. That's why the 2005-2018 Doctor Who was so good. They all LOVED it so so much.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

And it ended up being one of the greatest trilogies in history. This is due to the immense amount of work that went into the script and attention to detail for YEARS before they shot a single scene. In contrast, "The Hobbit" was a disappointment because this level of care was not there (and they deviated *WAY* too much from the source material).

[@clifhaley5150]

Gonad Squeeze is a great name for a punk band.

[@BeezOne84]

TESTICULAR TORSION

[@josephvanwyk2088]

The IRONY is overflowing. I mean perfect casting for the stubborn-headed Gimli.

[@alexneill8338]

Irony means the opposite of what you would expect. The irony in this video isn’t overflowing, it’s non-existent. A shy and polite actor playing Gimli would be ironic.

[@josephvanwyk2088]

@@alexneill8338 Hahaha, no buddy. I used it correctly.

[@Ingel_Riday6690]

@@alexneill8338 Nope, he used it correctly. Only bone I'll throw you is that irony is often in the eye of the beholder. You clearly don't find it ironic that in searching for a Gimli actor, they found a man even more stubborn than Gimli himself. So stubborn, in fact, that he's actually not playing Gimli in most of the trilogy. Most Gimli shots are of his stunt-double, because Rhys didn't like wearing the posthetics and claimed that he was having allergic reactions to them. It got so bad that the producers almost gave the stunt-double credit as Gimli as well... but union rules prevented that. I don't think Rhys has a LOTR tattoo, either. The Gimli stunt double has the tattoo, which all the major actors of the Fellowship got after filming ended. None of that is apparently the opposite of what you would have expected, so you don't find it ironic. I didn't expect any of that, so it's ironic to me. *shrug* Also, Rhys is a great actor. I'm not trying to speak ill of him. He just clearly didn't enjoy five hours of makeup and then sweating for hours in a thick suit of armor... to the point of making his stunt double shoulder more than half the scenes.

[@jculver1674]

To be fair, nobody thought the LOTR movies were going to be as great and iconic as they turned out to be. Fantasy was still the red-headed stepchild genre in Hollywood at the time, and Peter Jackson was famous for wild splatter flicks. Heck, even he couldn't capture that magic again when he made the Hobbit movies.

[@DocRobotnik]

Speak for yourself. Some of us watched Heavily Creatures and knew Peter Jackson could write AND direct.

[@jmackmcneill]

Absolutely! This is the late 90's, a decade littered with the corpses of really well made sci/fantasy/comic book films, that had all tanked for reasons that remain unclear to this day, but also the horror of the big budget vanity projects like the Star Wars remasters and the prequels.

[@patgray5402]

To be fair Jackson was brought in very late to The Hobbit and could only do so much

[@InvertedWIng]

And fantasy continues to be the redheaded stepchild genre in Hollywood. Especially as it gets increasingly more hostile to redheads.

[@JnEricsonx]

To be fair, he wasn't planning on doing them.

[@carlbruschnigjr1757]

I love that they've got a statue of Indiana Jones across from Rys-Davies. And he was one of the best actors in the trilogy, along with Ian McKellen.

[@northislandguy]

He was allergic to the prosthetics and still gave 100% and we got the best Gimli 👍

[@stepanserdyuk4589]

It's kinda weird seeing all the Hobbit actors becoming old and grey, and Gimli remaining more or less as is.

[@dixonhill1108]

He's been 60ish for 30 years.

[@Cadence733]

That's being a Dwarf for you.

[@aidanjanemcintosh6919]

Frodo only aged like, what, 5 years?

[@davidburchettephotography6513]

Thank goodness you did go for it sir. It wouldn't be the same without you. Love the characters you've brought to life over your career.

[@samanthab1923]

We just watched the Trilogy again over this past week & it still holds up. ⭐️

[@raydafuq3570]

it not only holds up it is unmatched.

[@somarriba333]

HA! The jokes on him. He got TWO roles.

[@williambodin5359]

Barrrummmba hom!

[@tru3sk1ll]

Couldn't see the forest through the trees, or over the height of his own beard :D

[@lindamawdsley6130]

Well John got that slightly wrong😄

[@herbderbler1585]

It saddens me to imagine some alternate universe where John's exit strategy worked and he wasn't Gimli.

[@PrimalShock87]

Gimli/Sallah meets Lex Luthor….that’s something I did not expect

[@Bat-Twenty-Two]

Lex Luthor is also meeting Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk from Trial of the Incredible Hulk!

[@Adamguy2003]

I've met both of them within the last five months (Michael at Spooky Empire, John at Megacon), and both are awesome in person!

[@speedisoftheessence]

Gimli, Sallah, Lex Luthor and.... you're forgetting someone.

[@Adamguy2003]

@@speedisoftheessence LOL, I see what you did there!

[@woopig4419]

This mans portrayal of gimli is the single reason why I always played dwarves in a fantasy setting and got in to fantasy settings in the first place

[@phj223]

"You had an exit strategy." "I had an exithhstraggthey."

[@M.W.H.]

Lol

[@Norsilca]

Full Churchill

[@NorthOf60Gaming]

I had the pleasure of meeting him last summer, wow, such an amazing man, that he took the time to talk to us. it was a fun chat, for sure, super down to earth gentleman who still has a hint of mischief in his eyes.

[@tinusvandenberg2593]

He also portrayed Viscount Mabrey in Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement - great movie btw ❤

[@planetdisco4821]

I’m a 55. Year old male Aussie construction worker and the princess diaries are my secret pleasure that I will never reveal to my co-workers lol

[@311mikey]

Excellent interview best trilogy out there. I remember seeing it in the theater and was amazing. Glad he took the role because I don’t see anybody else playing that role. I would’ve asked him what he thought about Wangs of power and how they butchered some aspects of the storyline.

[@dorkknight8846]

You can't beat the Star Wars trilogy . It's just impossible

[@gloriathomas3245]

Bring back Sliders

[@duckduckgoismuchbetter]

Absolutely YES! They should make a movie while they still can!

[@noahdoss1967]

I love how comfortable he is admitting how wrong he was, clearly knowing that it was the case in hindsight

[@-C.S.R]

I have family member through marriage that was in lord of the rings. When I was told that they were going to make a trilogy quite some time before they started shooting, I thought there's no way that Peter Jackson is going to do it justice and it was going to be a low budget disaster. Boy was I wrong!🤦 I just never thought in my wildest dreams that I would've turned out as good as a did.

[@Darkwintre]

Is there more of this interview?

[@DonMeaker]

He did a great job. He wasn't responsible for the deviations from the book. I hope people who watch the movies are interested enough to read the book. I have been watching him with great interest ever since he was in the 'Shogun' mini-series.

[@ZwiekszoneRyzyko]

Fuck, yeah! Finally in full on Spotify! This will make my hiking trips the best experience ever!

[@JT-bc5cd]

Some of my favorite Davies’ work was his narration for “Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness”. That game is polished off thanks to his voicework.

[@SnarkNSass]

So good to see him ❤

[@RedStarRogue]

The legend himself actually on the show in person!

[@jamiescott6350]

Awesome interview

[@Tom-re6zo]

The quality of the Peter Jackson trilogy is nothing short of a miracle. Everything came together. The stars aligned. It's probably never going to be replicated.

[@redrick8900]

Hopefully when they redo it in a decade they will get the ending right.

[@Goldenspiderducck]

Well. If you’re gonna be wrong, you might as well be wrong in a masterpiece! 😂

[@renehernandez8585]

INDY my friend!!!!!!

[@jaredthomason5209]

How ever u feel about it I loved you as gimili, when I found out that you played gimili I was even more impressed. Thank you.

[@rcb3921]

TF -- John Noble played Denethor. How the hell did I not put that together.

[@markbastings4451]

WOW Love John Rhys Davis!! Great interview! Even if you do have a delicate audience.😂😂

[@Nimbus3000]

John is a legend, adored him from as far back as Sliders.

[@Kira121086]

He was also the Atreides Mentat for Dune 2000 iirc.

[@thegreatape884]

I vaguely remembered seeing John Rhys-Davies in Indiana Jones and some other roles, didn't know he was cast as Gimli. The LOTR trilogy did so well with doubles and camera tricks, that I genuinely thought I remembered him wrong from Indiana Jones, cause he seemed like a pretty big guy..... saw Indiana Jones again shortly after and went "Ohhhh, i'm stupid."

[@user-kn3sv6jg4h]

That man was a large reason why I enjoyed 'Freelancer' so much, by the way. It was so cool having a LOTR dwarf as a systems expert in a video game. ;)

[@kamranki]

Peter Jackson is a mad genius. There is no other way to put it.

[@TallisKeeton]

one of Polish film critics have entitled his FOTR review that way - " Peter Jackson - a madman with a torch" :D

[@Cal6009]

He's such a brilliant storyteller

[@MarklovesAngels]

I remember watching I' Claudius back in the day and thinking, "wow, this actor is great!" I've really enjoyed his work over the years.

[@doomlordkaka]

i read TLOTR's in the mid 90s way before the movies came out. when i read, i cast hollywood actors- just helps the reading process. i cast davies as gimli on the back of watching so much sliders. mind was blown when he was actually cast.

[@LibertyPanacea]

That guy has a mask on in 2024 hahaa

[@adamshields7545]

Remove the fact that the mask wearing for Covid was just plain overkill, prior to that you'd still want to wear one if you're feeling a bit under the weather and you have an elderly man doing an interview to your right. Just sayin'. I mean they did box him in. If he wears it in his car... then I think we can point and laugh.

[@ieuanhunt552]

Normalise wearing a mask if you're feeling ill. I expect to see a handful of people every day wearing a mask during Flu season.

[@bubbadoom1837]

I've been a fan of this man since I was a little boy. I don't think of him as Gimli or Sala. He'll always first be Rodriguez. Watching Shogun with my old man, and him telling me stories about when he was stationed in Japan.

[@nickmitsialis]

Ah, yes! "Rodrigo-San"! He was one of my favorite characters in the OG 'Shogun'.

[@casefc3s]

oh shit... I was wondering why he looked familiar, he was in the OG mini-series Shogun. it still holds up!

[@mattresbert]

Brilliant stuff ❤ I love John as many if you do and would have loved if he had more screen time in Jones5

[@leadsled8961]

There is no person on the planet that could have done a better job as GIMLI in my mind. Perfect casting.

[@cnmcginn1981]

My god, I fucking love this man. I've never seen LOTR, but I've seen a lot of his other work and he's great

[@chadwickerman]

You should watch it some day.

[@allyourpie4323]

This man maintains such a presence in his eyes alone,not to mention his facial expressions and that VOICE. Watching him for these four minutes is basically worth a movie. Now I might just go watch one of his.

[@UnicornMeat512]

Nobody could have played it better and the world was lucky to have him

[@davek7706]

You'd think you'd look at Peter Jackson's filmography and realize you weren't dealing with a lightweight.

[@dargron7614]

What filmography? At that point Jackson was barely getting started - he had a couple of low budget horror/comedies, Beautiful Creatures which did get a lot of critical acclaim (though no awards) and a single Hollywood film - The Frighteners, which didn't do all that well financially. Nothing Jackson had previously done suggested that he could successfully pull off a fantasy trilogy of such massive scale, not to mention that fantasy films in general held very little respect at the time. I don't blame Rhys-Davies for his attitude - nobody could have predicted how good or successful the final films would be. Everyone on the production were throwing everything they had into it and hoping for the best.

[@davek7706]

@@dargron7614 I feel strongly the opposite. Frighteners was very good and exceedingly well polished. Anyone watching that, and knowing what they were seeing, could tell he was a man with both a concise vision for his films and a technical eye for detail. It wasn't some slapped together project; somebody carefully nurtured it to the screen.

[@gradypatterson1948]

JRD had good reasons for doubting that LotR would be successful: 1- It had already been tried, and turned out pretty horrendous. 2- It required successfully converting *three* very long books into films which could only cover perhaps half of what was in each book. 3- The books had a large fanbase, which was likely to be offended even *before* the films were made, and triply so once the first film was actually released. 4- If #3 held true, the likelihood of making the rest was extremely low, and being associated with a massive failure is difficult for an actor in a starring role to overcome. His comment about the amount of prosthetic/makeup/costuming is specifically in light of his low expectations regarding the success of the film: to put in that much work only to have the film tank his career ... we can easily judge with hindsight, but JRD didn't have that luxury - he was taking a risk (and given the way many fans of the book reacted, he wasn't really wrong so much as underestimating how much the non-booked audience would enjoy the film.) As a fan of the books (I'd read the trilogy 13 times, the Hobbit 7, and the Silmarillion twice by the time the "Fellowship" film was released), I can enjoy it for what it is - a story loosely based on Tolkien's works. It isn't - and couldn't possibly *be* - a faithful depiction, in part because Jackson doesn't understand the faith which underpinned so much of the books, in part because the books contain so much material, and in part because a significant part of the books is in the unstated or undepictable ... that which happens inside the reader's head without ever being put into print on a page!

[@tracemacmillan9718]

Just met him at Indy comic con 3 days ago. He was so cool!😎

[@8ojack]

Agreed: I’ve only seen 2 clips but can tell this will be the best interview he’s done 🤩

[@thegenxgamerr]

I am one of those Tolkien nerds that pop up whenever something LOTR gets posted, lol. If you read the books you know how much of LOTR was cut down and in some parts dramatically changed as an example: arwen doesnt get frodo to rivendell it was glorfindel, there are many other examples. Jackson committed himself and the production to preserving Tolkiens story, and he get the right cast in the right roles who also committed to it. You see this with Gimli specifically, the constant competition with legolas is more then their friendship evolving, its meant to represent the rivalry they had. In the books, there is real animosity between Gimli and Legolas until Gimli meets Galadriel and his opinion of elves change. Rhys Davies did a great job in the role. I know this was long but you know how tolkien fans are, lol. Thanks for putting up this video.

[@chichiboypumpi]

I want him as a grumpy steampunk dwarf in a non-woke Snow White

[@FeralWarpwolf]

He was also a very intimidating Macro in "I, Claudius"...which is a great series in itself...

[@ubergeek1968]

I absolutely agree. It is amazing how many now-famous actors were in that series... such as Patrick Stewart.... who still had hair.

[@jamesgraham814]

A great Welshman with a beautiful Welsh voice ❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

Doesn't sound that Welsh anymore but that's true of a lot of old school actors who went to British drama schools, they just elocute it out of you no matter what accent you have

[@dbevit]

Who's the violet with a mask?

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

Who is the dipshit that won't get over the fact that some people are still careful?

[@Pirelli913]

I absolutely love actors who diss their own most famous work before they're ever made. Love John. I recently watched the 2024 Shogun and enjoyed it, but didn't know he was in the 1980 version. Gotta try and find it to watch it now.

[@dankryst]

I met him years ago go and talked to him for a good ten minutes what a lovely kind man

[@Hydrocannon]

Turns out I first knew this guy way back in my childhood. He is Noree Moneo, Mentat of House Atredies in Dune 2000. Love the boom of his voice.

[@interdimensionalsteve8172]

TV show Sliders for me :)

[@willsmc10]

I was getting my haircut at a hole in wall barbershop in Tulsa, OK back in 2016… in walked a lady asking if a man could get a beard trim… then a very unsuspecting man came in but I kept glancing over because he looked familiar… finally, I figured it out - it was John Rhys Davies! We had a lovely chat.

[@OEDODRAGON]

Great interview! =)

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

Good god, I thought that interviewer was the bloke from Shooting Stars until he spoke. They’re images of one another!

[@fredgilbert2032]

I get to meet John Rhys-Davies this weekend. Looking forward to meeting 2 legends at SC Comic Con (also meeting William Shatner).

[@ericheckenkamp6091]

I remember reading in Fangoria that the guy who made Braindead and Meet the Feebles was making Lord of the Rings. I was certain it would fail too.

[@bridgecross]

Just looking at him now, you know what is a crime? He had to wear that horrendous prosthetic for months, which gave him terrible reaction on his skin. But his face is kind of perfect for Gimli all by itself! He has a wonderful nose. They could have pulled it off with minimal prosthesis.

[@mosessaenz734]

Beautiful interview. Michael i know its random. But my all time favorite horror thriller film is Urban Legend. And i think you rock the shit in that movie. All love and blessings bro. ❤❤❤❤

[@jmatos316]

The funny thing is-- His voice has been the voice of Boromir in my head since I was in middle schools in the mid-80s. Its the only voice of characters in any book that has survived movie exposure ...

[@duckduckgoismuchbetter]

Professor Maximillian Arturo! From Sliders! Ah, I know this guy!

[@IvailoStoianoff]

He went for a council, he stayed because he found friends. Reminds me of something...

[@tileux]

Is therr a pt2 to this interview?

[@RealCaptainJaws]

John Rhys-Davies narrates one of my favorite games of all time, Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness. His is a voice of my childhood.