What's the best thing about this middle part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy?
That's easy - we let rip with these fantastic battle sequences! And there are also some great new characters to come. Trust me, it gets better and better. I can't wait to see it!

What, haven't you even seen it yet?
The thing is, although the three films were all made at the same time, they're all not finished yet. Just a few weeks ago they were filming new stuff for the second one and there's still a lot of work to go on the third. They're still making them better and better.

Was it great to cut loose with some fighting and action after all the talking and walking that the characters seemed to do in the first film?
With the first one we had all these characters to introduce and a really complicated story to explain, which meant there was a lot of the film which didn't have much action in it. But now that we've done that, this one is going to be a fantastic, killer installment! Oh man, then the third one is going to be this great finale that I guarantee everyone will be hanging out to see!

Obviously you're not finding it hard to stay hyped by the films, even though you finished work on them ages ago..
Not at all. Because so much work is still being done on the films right up until weeks before they are released, you never feel like you've actually finished work on them. It's not like they were done, we've seen them and moved on or anything like that.

A lot of the cast has gone back to New Zealand to film new bits and pieces over the past year. Do you do any new work on the films while you were close in Victoria making the movie about Ned Kelly with heath Ledger?
I had to go back and do some stuff for the first one after I'd thought I'd finished it, and I was asked to go back and do a few other things for the second. But even though I was working so close I couldn't do anything about it because I had this big bushy beard for Ned Kelly, and Legolas is all blond and babyfaced!

Did you have any mishaps while filming Ned Kelly? We hear you break something on almost every film, like the ribs you cracked during LOTR..
[laughing] No, I didn't break anything, but I got kicked by a horse, just above the knee. I was very lucky!

Do you miss playing Legolas after spending almost two years focusing on nothing else?
I would absolutely have loved the chance to be Legolas again. No question, if I had the time and the opportunity I'd be there in a second!

Did you go and say hi to the others anyway, considering you were so close?
Oh yeah. I went over to NZ for the weekend, just because I wanted to get back and see everyone and feel like part of it again, even just for a little while. It was great to catch up with Liv and Viggo and I got the chance to see some of the stuff that they were still working on for the second movie.

A year ago every one was talking about how there was this amazing bond formed between you and Elijah Wood and the other actors. Do you miss that ‘fellowship’ now that you’ve all moved on to other things?
Oh, I miss them all the time. It’s not one of those things which is just an onset friendship which ends when you stop working together. There are lots of those in this business, but this is something else. I mean, I flew to New Zealand for two nights and one day just to see my mates!

Some people said that the name The Two Towers should be changed because it might be a sad reminder of New York’s Twin Towers. What do you think?
The book has been around for a really long time and the name is part of the culture of these stories. I happened to be in New York at the time [of the attacks] so I know it’s very painful, but this film is not about it. It has no relevance to those events.

So what’s your life like now that being in LOTR has made you a huge star?
My life is mad right now. And I know it’s Rings which I have to thank for that. When I look back on my life I’ll always know it was The Fellowship of the Ring changed everything for me, forever.

Part 2