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Nov 30 2014, 11:20pm
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Graham McTavish talks about being a Dwarf and "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
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 Here's the transcript of a very interesting roundtable question and answer session that Graham McTavish conducted with a number of reporters on the set of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Question: We were just discussing our favorite dwarves. Do you have a favorite dwarf?
Graham McTavish: My favorite dwarf? Wow.
Question: Present company excepted.
Graham McTavish: Present company excepted? I have a very soft spot for Ori. I do. Very soft spot for Ori. Because he's the guy who you wouldn't expect to be on a journey like this, but he wants to come anyway. So I think that's something very courageous about him. And I think that appeals to Dwalin, as a character, it appeals to me as well, as an audience member. I think a lot of people will be rooting for Ori in the story.
Question: Do you guys know things about the other dwarves than yourselves that no one else knows, that will never actually be in the-- About the characters, not so much--
Graham McTavish: (interrupts) Yeah. Both, definitely.
Question: You can tell us about the--
Graham McTavish: (interrupts) Yeah, I can tell about a night out that we've had. Yeah, we spent a lot of time in the three months before we started shooting doing a lot of background on ourselves and our inter-familial relationships and how well we knew each other. From my point of view, I came to the conclusion that, essentially, Dwalin was there for Thorin and his brother Balin. That was why he was there. His journey is a journey to reclaim the sense of honor and for the Dwarven people. And I think that motive may be slightly different from some of the other guys. Some are more motivated by the money and all the rest of the treasure. And I think that Dwalin didn't know some of them. He may have heard of them, but I don't think he had anything to do with Bofur and Bombur and Bifur. I don't think he would have-- I think his default is not to trust people until they prove that they're worthy of trust. And I think he has that attitude to most people apart from the ones that he's very close to. Which he is loyal to to a fault. So yeah, that's how I came at it.
Question: So do you guys feel like-- Obviously, you're coming close to the end of the project. Do you still feel like a family now?
Graham McTavish: Oh, God, yeah. Yeah, we had a few guys over for dinner a couple of nights ago, and what really struck me was, very early on in the job we did the same thing, we had had a lot of people over for dinner, and the feeling was so different this time. Very, very relaxed. Very at ease with each other in a way that you are with people that you're very close to. I mean, all the piss-taking and everything aside, everyone is very close, actually. Surprisingly so in some cases. And we're very sad because it'll be the last time that Ian's here before he finishes on Friday, and we were very conscious of that. And that will be a very-- Tomorrow going to be a very sad day I think. God, thirteen years, I think. Was it? Thirteen years he's been-- Or something.
Question: Do you know of anything planned to honor it? He wasn't sure if he knew either, so--
Graham McTavish: I know nothing. I know nothing.
Question: What's been the most unexpected part of this whole experience for you? What did you not see coming?
Graham McTavish: Well, honestly, I would say that-- And this isn't to sound glib, but almost every day there is something unexpected. Truly. From the day we arrived when we went on the tour of Weta, which was just-- I still go back to relive that experience of going around that building. I just find it jaw-dropping every time I go. From that to every day you turn up on set. Like today, we arrive and there's this incredible set. And you never get really blase about it. I don't. I look at it and I go, "This is incredible." And I think the other surprising thing for me is being able to enjoy it as an actor, but also to enjoy it as somebody who's enjoyed these films as an audience member as well, to be aware of that and really savor it. It's an unique experience from that point of view, I think.
Question: How do you use the daily makeup time? Those hours.
Graham McTavish: (overlaps) How do I use it?
Question: Yeah.
Graham McTavish: Actually, it's funny. We get to know each other very well-- That's one of the ways we get to know each other very well because we're sat next to each other for quite some time. And you talk about everything. Your families, your politics, your religion, your whatever, this and that, everything comes up. And a lot of humor. A lot of humor. We have a great laugh, actually. And it's one of the times I'll miss, weirdly, the most. Even though it's all about getting this stuff on, it's a nice process with them.
Question: How many hours does it take?
Graham McTavish: An hour and a quarter for the prosthetics, forty-five minutes for the hair, and then I'm ready to come over here after about two hours, two and a quarter.
Question: Who has the longest process?
Graham McTavish: Bombur. Bombur. Yeah. I always look at his call time and it's always thirty, forty minutes before me. So that many pieces that he has, everything else, it's quite quite something. And you never know-- I mean, I only know what it feels like to be Dwalin in terms of the outfit, and I can't imagine what it must be like for him. It's hard yards he puts in wearing that costume.
Question: How has this experience changed you? If it has at all.
Graham McTavish: That's a good question. Well, you learn to take in an experience over a long period of time, and that's something that you rarely get the opportunity to do as an actor. And I think that allows you to grow, both as an actor and also as a character. And that's quite a gift that they've given you with this. Apart from the obvious, getting to know people over a long period of time, getting to know a country, getting to know all the crew, it's been a very inclusive experience from that point of view. And that's probably the thing I'll take away from it best.
Question: So for you to realize your character, to be in your character, you probably have to do a little more than there's ever going to be on film. So how do you inform yourself about your character? You talked about his motives for being there, but (indistinct).
Graham McTavish: Yeah, I draw very much on people that I've known, people like Dwalin. I know a lot of people in Scotland like Dwalin who you'll meet in a bar, and they don't talk much, but when they do, they talk to a purpose. It's very clear how they feel. They're not big on small talk. Even my own father, I've drawn on my father who is a working class Glaswegian who behaved in a very particular way towards people. And every time I go out there, there's a little bit of my dad going with me, that's for sure. I mean, he wasn't violent, but he-- Well, on occasion maybe he was. Not towards me. But yeah, quick-tempered, and wasn't shy of confronting people. I try and feel a sense of honor, I think, about Dwalin. I think he's an honorable man. Or an honorable dwarf, I should say. And I think that informs everything he does. He's not shy of telling you if he doesn't like what you're doing, but he's very supportive of anybody that's giving everything they can. That's why I think I like Ori, to go back to that. I think, as a character, I have a very strong admiration for what he is doing. Because it's hard for him. He's never done anything like this before. And that's how I train.
Question: So for this particular film, are there some bits of business that you've been given that aren't on the page in the novel?
Graham McTavish: Yeah. A lot of what we've done is very new, because a lot of the dwarf characters were quite sketchily drawn in the book, and we've had to, for our own purposes, invent a great deal, and also in terms of the script, a lot has been written that isn't there necessarily in the book. But I think that's great because it makes all those characters a lot richer.
Question: What contribution do you think was your biggest?
Graham McTavish: My contribution? Oh, my gosh. I don't know. My biggest contribution. Not falling over. No, no. I think maybe that I really, really put everything I could into every single day. And I think for some people, not on this job, but for some people this kind of thing would be tough. It would be tough. It's all this and that. But I feel very privileged to be doing it, so I try and use that to inform everything I do and everything I say to people.
Question: Did it change how you come to work now that there's a movie out, you've seen the finished product in some ways, and yet there's still more work to do?
Graham McTavish: (overlaps) I definitely feel-- I felt beforehand, but I feel more so now, a great sense of responsibility to the fans of The Rings, to the fans of these films. Richard and I were just talking about this a while back, that we've got four demanding weeks ahead. It's the climactic battle. It's going to be a lot of effort, but we know that it's important to really make that effort. Because you're only ever going to-- It's going to last. This film will last. And you want to make sure that it's the very best it can be from your individual viewpoint, and that's what I try and take out of that.
Question: Can you talk a little bit about Dwalin's headspace in movie three? Because your character is so loyal to Thorin, but Thorin's gone a little crazy.
Graham McTavish: (overlaps) Yeah. Yeah, no, I think he's--I think his loyalty is very severely tested. And I think, in a way, he feels the disappointment in Thorin, in the way he's behaving in Erebor, that much more keenly because of the undying loyalty that he's shown. He talks about being ruled by consent. And that's very important to Dwalin. "Yes, I will follow you anywhere, but I decide to do that." And he really makes that very clear to Thorin. And I wanted very much for that-- I think quite a pivotal moment is when your closest friend in a way, the guy that you've done the most with comes up to you and says, "Mate, you're completely out of order. Completely out of order what you're doing." And that always makes you go, "Oh, wow." A lot of people will let you get away with stuff, but when your closest friend does that-- So I tried to do that. It's good. I think it's very interesting the way it concludes our relationship.
Question: And when you say that you're giving your full commitment to the major battle scene in the next month, what does that actually mean from your point of view?
Graham McTavish: Well, I think it means not-- When you think that you're tired, when you think, "Oh, boy. Really? Really, do we have to go again?" "Yes, you do. You do. You have to go again." Because every time you get a chance to go again, it can be better. And a director that I worked with a few years ago once said, "You get this chance to do it, and then that's it." You won't get another chance to be Dwalin, you won't get another chance to do The Hobbit. So you have to try and bring your best game whenever you're asked to. And when you think you can't do anymore, you try and draw and do a little bit more. That's what I try to do.
Question: What's the tone of this franchise now, now that we've seen the first film? You've been working on it from day one. Was the tone of this franchise, what you saw on the screen, similar to what you had in your head when you first read the script?
Graham McTavish: Well, when I first read-- I would say the major difference for me was, reading the book, I feel like the films, especially into two and into three, are much darker. They become darker. The characters die in the book as well, but tonally, the journey towards that death is gradually darker. We've left the lightness and the slight joviality and naivety of the first film behind very much. And now we're into something a lot more serious. And I love that. I love that. I think it's a journey-- When we hit the ground running in film two, people will be like, "Whoa! Gee, okay, they're in real trouble." And it's good to feel that, you know. I like it.
Question: What intrigues you about watching Peter at work, coming in and knowing him as the director of the other films and then to get to know him as a real colleague and collaborator?
Graham McTavish: Yeah. I love how flexible he is, actually. I love that. I love how he creates organically in front of you. He comes with a plan, but that plan he can change at any moment, and you have to be able to adapt to that change of plan. You can't come with a fixed idea of, "This is how I'm going to do this scene, and that's just the way it is." You have to be able to roll with a sort of jazz-like improvisational feeling to it. And I really respond to that. I like that atmosphere.
Question: I think we tend to think of him as this technical wizard, but he's got to be great with you guys as actors.
Graham McTavish: (overlaps) Indeed. Yeah. Yeah, he is. And the other thing that Peter brings, I think very importantly, is humor. Which can't be underestimated on a project like this because it's so big, it could be so unwieldy, but he manages to focus it down to involve you in a fun way. Everybody, not just the actors, the crew and everything, he keeps things light. And that's important because I think it could be overwhelming otherwise. But he's great like that. He's very funny.
Question: I noticed you playing with the drawstring on your vest a couple of times.
Graham McTavish: (overlaps) I might have been. I might have been. My worry beads.
Question: But you've had so many pieces that you've worn now for so long. What is the part that you hate most about it and what is the part you've discovered you like best about it?
Graham McTavish: Okay, well, this is my third costume, my concluding costume. This one I actually haven't worn that much. And I haven't really grown to hate any part of it yet. Definitely in film one, the ax rig on the back was quite challenging. It was like carrying a couple of bags of cement around with you when you were going for a run. But to be fair to them, they've tried to balance the aesthetic need with the practical as much as they can. Because it does need to look as good as it does, but obviously we need to be able to move in it, and they've addressed that. When we first started, our boots-- These are our stunt boots, so they look like little teeny boots. So they've got grip on them and everything like that. But the first boots we tried, they were quite a lot bigger, weren't they? They were a lot heavier. Oh, my God, it was like diving boots, running around in those. But I've come to-- We had a moment the other day when we were wearing our film one costume for the last time that goes into film two, and everyone was kind of sad. We all had photos taken with each other wearing it. And things like that, I think it's important to mark them as well, to have a sense of ritual about these sort of jobs. Because as I say, I'll never work on a project like this again. It's almost certain. Because these projects are very rare. I will almost go so far as to say this is unique, this particular world that we inhabit doing this, and it's good to remember it. While you're doing it.
Question: Are you looking forward to spending some time, once the actual work part is done, with the fans and interacting with them?
Graham McTavish: I love it. I love it. I've gone to a couple of conventions. We did one in Germany and I went to one in Australia, and I love it. I love their enthusiasm. It's genuinely humbling and lovely to see. Some of them, they are so talented as well. The stuff they-- They bring books, they've drawn these incredible illustrations, paintings, they've knitted little-- One woman's knitted little versions of us. All of us. And they're brilliant! Absolutely amazing. So yeah, I love interacting with them.
Question: Little bit scary though, too.
Graham McTavish: Well, no, not--
Question: (interrupts) When the fans are--
Graham McTavish: (interrupts) Yeah, not there. Yeah, it's always difficult when they start asking you to speak Dwarvish. And then my actual knowledge of Dwarvish becomes very obvious. It's quite embarrassing, really. But no, I love hanging out with them, actually.
Question: Do you have a go-to phrase? When they say, "Speak Dwarvish to me."
Graham McTavish: Like a safety word.
Question: Well, no, I think that's the follow-up question.
Graham McTavish: If I call out.
Question: What's Dwarvish for "banana"?
Graham McTavish: That's right. And somebody comes in and takes me away.
Question: When someone says, "Speak Dwarvish to me," do you have a response that you give them at least?
Graham McTavish: Well, I always hope that William Kircher's there. Because he speaks Dwarvish. As Bifur, that's what he does. And I always refer to him. And also, I try and play the line that Dwarvish is a secret language. So that's a good way out. You just say, "I'm sorry, but you're not a Dwarf, so I can't really talk to you about it."
Female Crew Member: Okay, we good?
Question: We're good. Thank you.
Graham McTavish: No, it was lovely. It's always nice to see you, enjoy the rest of the day. It'll be fun I think.
Question: Thanks so much, Graham McTavish.
(This post was edited by dernwyn on Dec 1 2014, 11:29am)
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wow..JUST wowow.... Graham is the Man! //
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