How did you get the parts of Sharku & Snaga in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and can you tell us a bit about your time playing those characters? In late 1998 I had taken a theatre show called Skin Tight to the Edinburgh Festival. The show won a Fringe First and we transfered it to the New End theatre in Hampstead London. While I was there I recieved an e-mail from Richard Taylor telling me that The Lord Of the Rings had been green lit and that there would possibly be work on the film for me. Knowing that I had done prosthetics on Braindead and Heavenly Creatures they were looking to get me into the creature side of the shoot. A lot of the casting descisions came down to the physical sculpture of my face. I have pronounced cheek bones and am lean and wirey, very orc like. Also he knew as did Peter that I love a physical challenge. I was built to play those parts, and so I was cast. I also am a very competent horse rider and so, mixed playing those parts with being a black rider and various Rohan including a captain in the extended version of The Two Towers in the scene where Eomer finds Theodreds dying body. I also Played an elf and various other featured orcs
Can you tell us about the makeup process for characters like Sharku/Snaga? There was a highly skilled team of prothetics artists working on the films and they along with the sculptures at Weta came up with some amazing casts. Snaga was a four hour make up session, and was very close to my actual facial features. It was, and is still I think, my favourite design. I would get to work early, maybe four in the morning to be ready to shoot by 8 or 9. Sharku however was a very complex set of foam latex facial pieces and nine layers of body paint. The entire process took 7-7 and a half hours to apply. This meant very early starts for me and a team of 4-5 artists, a very long day and a one and a half hour de-rig. My team were amazing and included such artists as Dominie Till, Gino acedevo and Tami Lane who went on to score an Oscar for the Narnia films. I was very well looked after, the movement was difficult for sharku too, and I think it was the most challenging part I have played. But well worth the effort. I want to draw particular attention to the fact that without my team, I could not have performed as I did. They were and are exceptional people. I am forever thankful for their kindness and artistry .
How did you end up returning to Middle-Earth as Nori in The Hobbit, and how did you approach playing this awesome character? I was lucky enough to work on the mocap stage doing previs for the Hobbit late in 2010. There were around six actors playing dwarves and trolls and elves etc, so that Peter and his team could work out how to shoot certain scenes. I also helped the casting team working as a reader for the auditions in NZ. I was then asked if I would head up a team to train the scale doubles as a movement coach. I thought this would be my job on these films. I was a shocked as anyone to be offered the role of Nori. I really thought I was physically wrong, how wrong I was to be. When my agent rang to tell me I was in shock, I was overwhelmed and vasilated between laughter, loud shouting and the occassional weeping. My family were away and I was home alone. I was of course not allowed to tell anyone. It still chokes me up thinking just what an amazing moment it was. I was going to revisit an old friend, I was returning to Middle Earth. It was and is the very highlight of my short career. From day one at the studio, we were given incredible back stories to our dwarven families. We were asked to come up with Ideas as to what weapons we might employ. Shown detailed designs from the staff at Weta workshop and Wets digital, and of course the amazing Allan Lee and John Howe. we had boot camp, physical training coaches, stunt rehursals and horse riding, fight training and movement coaching. we bonded as men and we bonded as dwarves. We became a fellowship, much as the actors on Lord Of the Rings had. Peter gave me one gem of a back story, Nori had light fingers. He liked to pocket other peoples possessions, and he was a loner. These two little "hooks" became the beginnings of my portrayal. I always looked for the exit on a set, a back door or window. It gave me my base if you like.