Richard Armitage says Peter Jackson asked a lot of his actors when making The Hobbit trilogy as he continues to push boundaries as a filmmaker.
Armitage will return to the big screen this week as he reprises the role of Thorin in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: the second film in Jackson’s latest trilogy.
And while the British actor admits that it was tough work, he and the rest of the actors were ready to rise to the challenge thrown down by the Oscar winning filmmaker.
Speaking to 3 News the actor said:
“There were moments in The Desolation of Smaug where I found myself on my knees, unable to stand up and do another take, then you somehow find yourself on your feet and doing it again. That's what Peter does, he pushes you to extremes.
“He asks a lot of his actors and we ask a lot of ourselves, because he's pushing boundaries for himself, in the technology, the design, the sound. So we all rise to the challenge because he raises the bar.”
Armitage took on the role of Thorin for the first time last year as An Unexpected Journey went on to be a box office smash and gross over $1 billion worldwide.
The Desolation of Smaug is one of the most anticipated films of 2014 as the journey of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin and the rest of the dwarves to recapture Ereborn continues.
The Desolation of Smaug will see Armitage reunite with Martin Freeman and Ian McKellan, while the likes of Orlando Bloom and Luke Evans are some of the new faces on the cast list.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is released 13th December.
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