Actor Billy Boyd may have played a hobbit, Pippin, in “The Lord of the Rings” movies, but he has yet to visit the set of “The Hobbit” films. When Boyd was in Australia for Brisbane’s Supanova event, he explained to Lesley Slade of the Australian Times, “The plan was to go to New Zealand while I’m here, so I could visit the set. But I’ve just found out I have to go to Canada for a film called Space Milkshake, so it’s just a quick visit.”
Boyd feels nostalgic when it comes to director Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth. “I’ll be really disappointed if I don’t get to see ‘The Hobbit’ set eventually. What’s great is that it’s pretty much the same crew that worked on ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ he said. “I was speaking to Elijah [Wood] who’s been there filming, and he said it’s like déjà vu, because he feels like he never left. So, yeah, I’d love to go back – I really miss New Zealand!”
Filming “The Lord of the Rings” was a momentous time in Boyd’s life, as it was for other members of the cast and crew. “It’s crazy because it was like a whole other life. We lived there for quite a while and the filming process was so extensive you forget that people met on set and got married and had kids while the movies were being made. It was like one big family,” he laughs.
He has portrayed many different kinds of characters in a number of films, and has worked with some big names in the film industry. “It all came from ‘Star Wars,’” he jokes. “I wanted to be a Jedi, so I became an actor. I just love the idea of pretending to be someone else.”
While keeping busy with his work in movies, Boyd also sings and plays guitar. He and his band, Beecake, are hoping to release their second album early this year. “I love doing film and music,” he said. “It’s great because no matter where we play, there’ll always be some ‘Lord of the Rings’ fans there, and I think that’s brilliant.”
