Peter Jackson's Gandalf answered our questions earnestly and thoughtfully--particularly when discussing wisdom and fidelity to Tolkien's books.

An Interview with Ian McKellen : He Read Tolkien EVERY NIGHT Before Filming

Exploring Tolkien is a weekly show that dives deep into JRR Tolkien and all the ages of Middle-earth.  Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine are your hosts as they read through Tolkien’s works, interview other Tolkien enthusiasts and authors, and critically examine how Tolkien’s world is being treated by mega-corporations like Amazon.com and Warner Bros.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

TV & Film

News

Books

Entertainment News

Listen as Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan discuss their relationship with Peter Jackson, what it took to get through years of filming, and how working on Lord of the Rings changed them!

An Interview with Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry)  – 2003 Roundtable Interviews

The films brought us a dark and evil Bree -- but Tolkien calls it "friendly" and "familiar"!

Bree’s Dark Turn

Dropping the Barrow-downs removes one of the most important callbacks in the final Battle of the Pelennor Fields before Minas Tirith.

Should The Lord of the Rings Films have kept the Barrow-downs?

Tom Bombadil is a polarizing figure in Middle-earth. Some hate him, some love him. Peter Jackson decided to completely avoid that discussion and simply excise him from the film.

Tom Bombadil is NOT important? Tolkien said it!

The first REAL dangers outside of the Shire were cut from the films... but did that decision improve them?

An Interview with Ian McKellen : He Read Tolkien EVERY NIGHT Before Filming

Download our free app to listen on your phone