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Words by Ian McKellen
3 October 2000
| There are any number of fantastical creatures
in Lord of the Rings and I have seen a few of them recently.
Some, like the armies of orcs and goblins, are played by actors and
stuntspeople, whilst others, stars like the Balrog, are being
created within the computers of WETA's workshops, home of the props
and masks and the prosthetics which most of the actors must wear to
varying degrees. Gandalf doesn't meet Gollum or Smeagol so what Andy
Serkis and Peter Jackson are cooking up between them I'm not privy
to. |
Ian McKellen, 2000
Watercolour by Sean Foot
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Not all of Tolkien's creatures are as
outlandish as Gollum or Treebeard or the cave troll. Horses are dear
to his heart - even the Ringwraith steeds, which may be
evil-looking, snorting like devils, their hooves cloven with nails
but, like all nags, are only obeying orders. They have been pressed
into service and are furious. I'm glad I didn't have to work with
them. |
| More my style is the chestnut Rastus who plays
Bill the pony and is adorable. The compliant, ever-licking Rastus is
11 years old, an American quarter horse crossed with Shetland. Led
by Samwise (Sean Astin) he reliably carried the Fellowship's baggage
and endured the uncomfortable snowstorm of polystyrene and rice
flakes when Saruman's agents attacked the nine of us in the
Wellington studio en route for Moria. He was less fazed by the
tempest than the rest of the cast, even though he didn't have
blinkers on. He didn't complain of dust in the eyes or polysterene
balls in every bodily crevice. Between takes, as I called for
bottled water and a make-up check, Rastus calmly helped himself to
the layer of salt which added glitter to the surface of the snow. I
wish he had made it into the mines of Moria. He would not have been
daunted by all those steps and passageways nor by the rowdy goblins.
Indeed I would have trusted him with the ring itself. |
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Sample Call Sheet
Panto Bill on duty
Photo by Ian McKellen
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Last week, for the last time, I filmed with him
or with what was inelegantly referred to in the daily Call Sheet as
"Panto Bill" (Rebecca Fitzgerald and Kerry). British
Christmas pantomimes often feature a fairytale animal played by an
agile actor - Dick Whittington's Cat, Jack's cow, which he sold for
the beanstalk seeds or Mother Goose herself. "Cinderella"
always boasts a real pony for the transformation scene but a
pantomime horse is made of two lissome actors bent double: the
lowliest job in theatre is to be the back legs of a horse. In the
mountain range above Takaka on Golden Bay (South Island of New
Zealand) Rastus couldn't make it into the helicopter that ferried
the rest of us up and so panto took over. |
| Gandalf of course isn't as sentimental as this
Englishman, although I had him whispering to the chestnut Clyde who
dropped him off at Bag End in the first film's opening scene.
Gandalf's equine faith lies other than in the likes of Bill and
Clyde. As he tells Pippin: "Shadowfax will have no harness. You
do not ride Shadowfax: he is willing to carry you - or not. If he is
willing, that is enough. It is then his business to see that you
remain on his back, unless you jump off into the air." He is
speaking of a marvel and Peter Jackson has cast a white 16 year old
Andalusian stallion called Domero who, standing at 16 hands is more
than up to the part, at least as far as looks are concerned. His
alert ears pivot above his noble skull, his mane is thick and in no
need of the false hair that some of the other horses, including
Bill, wear in the film. |
Chopper over Takaka
Photo by Ian McKellen
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Peter Jackson, 2000
Photo by Ian McKellen
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My trouble is in riding him, as Shadowfax spurns bridle, bit,
reins and even a saddle. This might all be safe enough with stable
lads and lasses at the ready but often enough I am carrying a hobbit
in front and clinging to a three foot six hobbit isn't safe. I am very
happy for Basil Clapham (my riding double) to do the galloping in my
stead. Indeed the first authentic image of Gandalf that has been
broadcast across the Internet (although not from this site) was not me
at all but Basil urging Shadowfax toward Helm's Deep - actually not
Shadowfax either but his fast galloping double 12 year old gelding
called Blanco. When I mount Domero he is generally required to be
stationary. Even so the shift of haunches whenever he pulls his weight
from one back leg to another can feel seismic aloft and once Fon
(doubling for Pippin) and I slowly and safely slid to the soft grit of
the lava field surrounding the volcano of Ruapehu.
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| Since then we have trotted through an
artificial lake to confront Saruman at Orthanc - Saruman (in the
person of Christopher Lee) was starring in Star Wars: Episode
II across
the Tasman Sea in the Olympiad city. So we yelled to a yellow tennis
ball representing the mad maia. Domero is controlled offscreen like
a circus horse with the visual aid of two whips in the hands of Don
Reynolds standing to one side of the camera. Sometimes the signal is
reinforced with his name but Domero can walk, stop and stand on his
mark, a square meter of plank on which he bangs his hooves. To one
side is Blanco who, it seems, is needed to focus Shadowfax's
attention, horses being sociable. I can't think why an understudy
watching him perform should be considered a comfort. But then Domero
— for all he can recognise "Action" and pre-empt his cue
to walk, stop or bang his plank — has no idea he is acting nor, more
to the point, that the heavy weight and hobbit squirming on his
spine are trying to act. We manage because Don is persistent and
Domero has learnt well over their six months training together. Don
Reynolds has worked with many horses in movies but I can't think he
admired any of them more than he seems to respect Domero. |
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I've ridden often enough in movies - D. H.
Lawrence loved a canter (Priest of Love film 1979) and
as his namesake T. E. I was on the obligatory camel (Ross -
TV). Just for five minutes. I was no sooner introduced to the
unconcerned handsome beast than I was sat in his comfy saddle and
told to drive him like a car. I was just looking for the ignition
when the director Cedric Messina shouted for me to gallop toward the
camera 100 metres away and "Stop on this mark", a black
rock amidst the sand. I kicked and away we went and I didn't fall
off, indeed almost stopped where was wanted. Didn't even knock the
tripod over. But that was good luck. Horses are dangerous and I
don't take them for granted. Roy Kinnear died after falling from one
on his film The Four Musketeers. |
Choppers over Takaka
Photo by Ian McKellen
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