Elijah Wood thinks there is "more wit" to the British sense of humour than American comedy.

Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood

The 35-year-old actor, who was born in Iowa in the US, has explained how his starring role in 'The Lord of the Rings' series exposed him to Britain's distinctive style of comedy.

He shared: "['The Lord of the Rings'] was one of the great experiences of my life. It created more opportunities than it hindered."

Elijah said that the iconic series, based on the work of author J. R. R. Tolkien, had an added benefit he could not have foreseen.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "It exposed me to British comedy. The British actors working on it spoon-fed me everything from 'The Day Today' to 'Brass Eye' to 'The Mighty Boosh'.

"It doesn't adhere to the same needs of American humour. It doesn't constantly require a laugh out of you. It's more sarcastic. There's more wit to it."

Meanwhile, Elijah has thanked his "solid family base" for ensuring her never went off the rails after finding fame as a child.

He said: "I was lucky in the sense that I started work very young but had a solid family base provided by my mother. She instilled a strong sense of perspective and humility in me from a very early age.

"Also, that kind of excess has never interested me. But I don't envy people who are suddenly thrust into fame, because there are no tools to understand how to deal with that."

But in spite of his fame, Elijah admitted he is still frequently mistaken for 'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe.

The actor said: "I ran into somebody the other day and they said, 'I love you in 'Swiss Army Man' [ which stars Radcliffe].' I was like, 'Oh, there we go again!' I actually find it really amusing."


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