Will “Lord of the Rings” fans (Ringers) embrace Evangeline Lilly’s “The Hobbit” character? The actress thinks Tauriel – a character created by director Peter Jackson – could divide the book’s hardcore followers.
“I am scared. I am very scared. Be nice to me,” the actress told AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman at the “Real Steal” Los Angeles premiere when asked how Ringers will receive a character who does not appear in the J.R.R. Tolkien books.
“My character is an invention of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. So, either fans are going to love her or absolutely despise and be bitter towards her because she’s not authentic,” the actress continued. “I believe she is authentic, because Tolkien refers to The Wooded Owls, he just doesn’t talk about who they are specifically… [Peter and Fran] know that world so well. They’re not going to create a character that is not true to Tolkien’s world.”
Jackson previously revealed in a statement on his Facebook page that Tauriel is a Woodland Elf and that her name means “daughter of Mirkwood.” The director has noted that Tauriel is not romantically linked to Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, who will also appear in “The Hobbit.”
Evangeline, who gave Access a preview of her Elvish dialect skills (see Evangeline speak Elvish HERE!), was also tight lipped on the details surrounding her pointy-eared role.
“My Elvish could tell you what the story is,” the former “Lost” star teased. “I can’t tell you what the story is [in English].”
The actress told Access that filming in New Zealand has been a dream.
“We’ve been working out there for about a month now, and working with Pete Jackson is super inspiring,” she explained. “I have a dialect coach, I have a language coach, I have a stunt coach, so I should… be great in this film. But if I [expletive] up, it’s my fault, because there’s so much support for me in New Zealand. I have no reason, no excuse.”
The first film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be released on December 14, 2012, with the second film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” slated to hit theaters the following year on December 13, 2013.
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