My mom used to tell me, 'If you read 50 books, I'll get you a motorbike.'

My cousin once told me, 'You're tall, you're handsome - and you're gonna have to apologize for it the rest of your life.' He imparted that information to me.

Vig used to call me 'Elf boy', and I'd call him 'filthy human'. As an Elf, I never got a scratch on me, never got dirty. And Vig would come out with blood and sweat all over him. And he'd say to me, 'Oh, go manicure your nails.'

Although it is a fantasy film, it's as real as it can be. You have to imagine that an audience will buy their ticket to a cinema and get on a first-class flight and journey to Middle Earth.

I'm quite sensitive to women. I saw how my sister got treated by boyfriends. I read this thing that said when you are in a relationship with a woman, imagine how you would feel if you were her father. That's been my approach, for the most part.

I want to do things that terrify me, unless they're going to kill me.