The actor who played the dwarf Gimli in the Lord of the Rings films is thinking about returning to his character. But he has an important demand.
Who plays Gimli? The solitary dwarf with the ambitious desire to outdo his friend Legolas in battle is played by John Rhys-Davies. The actor was also seen in Indiana Jones.
As Gimli, he played his way into the hearts of many Middle-earth fans. Given the current situation, they have a lot to be happy about anyway. Not only is a new anime called The Battle of the Rohirrim awaiting you in December 2024, a film about Gollum is also officially in the works.
The latter will see familiar faces return, such as Andy Serkis as Gollum, and perhaps some of the companions as well. Will John Rhys-Davies be there? The actor gave a clear answer.
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“Times have changed”
What does John Rhys Davies say? In a conversation with Collider, the actor opened up about his return as Gimli. When Peter Jackson, who also made the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was making his Hobbit films, Rhys-Davies was asked, but he declined at the time.
But now the situation looks different. The technology used in film is more advanced and allows for some conveniences. Specifically, John Rhys-Davies is bothered by the elaborate make-up that his character needs.
The actor didn’t like the hours of sitting in the mask and the prosthetics he had to wear as Gimli. Nowadays you could forego practical effects and use CGI instead:
Times have changed and technology has changed, if I didn’t have to spend three years of my life in a makeup chair eight hours a day, I might actually do it. The other thing is that I’m no longer physically capable of putting on 80 pounds of extra armor and stuff and climbing mountains.
John Rhys Davies via collider.com
One thing should not be forgotten in the discussion: John Rhys-Davies is 80 years old today and so the very physical role of the fighting and running Gimli would be a great effort for him.
Is there a final answer? The actor hasn’t revealed whether he’s taking part in The Hunt for Gollum. Apparently he hasn’t been asked yet. But if the filmmakers forego traditional makeup and instead use digital technology to turn John Rhys-Davies into a dwarf, perhaps that will change. What does his colleague actually look like? Viggo Mortensen could return as Aragorn in the new “Lord of the Rings” film – but only under one condition