'Bookworm' Exclusive Interview: Elijah Wood

Moviefone speaks with Elijah Wood about 'Bookworm' and New Zealand. "It represents a huge part of my life and it's an incredible place to go back to."

Opening in theaters and On Demand October 18th is the new film ‘Bookworm’, which was directed by Ant Timpson (‘Come to Daddy’), and stars Elijah Wood (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’), Nell Fisher (‘Evil Dead Rise’), and Michael Smiley (‘The Lobster’).

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Elijah Wood in 'Bookworm'. Photo: Rialto Distribution.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Elijah Wood about his work on ‘Bookworm’, his first reaction to the screenplay, the father and daughter relationship, working with Nell Fisher, learning close-up magic, shooting in New Zealand, and how it’s changed since he shot ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Wood and director Ant Timpson.

(L to R) Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood in 'Bookworm'. Photo: Rialto Distribution.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to this screenplay and why you wanted to be part of the project?

Elijah Wood: Well, listen, I've worked with the creative team on another film called ‘Come to Daddy’ a few years prior and had a blast making that film. The director, Ant Timpson, the writer, Toby Harvard and I love their sensibilities. That was a very different film, also a comedy, but a very violent one. Very much for adults. The premise was pitched early on, because they're all friends, and the idea was another father story, but this one being flipped with a father and a daughter trying to connect in an unusual circumstance, looking for this mythical panther in the wilds of New Zealand. I was intrigued by the premise and honestly just love the creative team so much that I wanted to work with them on anything else, and then I read the script and fell in love with it. I mean, it has so much of the humor that Toby and Ant possess, that very much is appealing to adults, woven into a story that is for families, this kind of fun adventure into the wilderness of New Zealand, looking for this panther, whilst these two characters who are thrust together for the first time are trying to connect as father and daughter with a real heart through the line of their connection. So, I loved all of that. I loved the character of Strawn, this absurd buffoon, washed up magician, who flies to New Zealand with all the bluster of trying to impress his daughter who he's never met and failing miserably at that and failing miserably at anything to do with being in the wilderness. The fun of breaking a character like that down and finding the core was really intriguing to me. Honestly, the idea of getting to go to New Zealand on what was effectively like a work holiday and to get to share that with my family was also hugely appealing.

(L to R) Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood in 'Bookworm'. Photo: Rialto Distribution.

MF: Can you talk about the father/daughter relationship between Mildred and Strawn, and what it was like working with Nell Fisher?

EW: Nell's amazing. I would say that the most challenging role in the film is probably Nell's role. I mean, she really is the engine that drives the movie. She certainly is the engine that drives that dynamic. My character's constantly on his back feet trying to impress her with her shooting him down constantly. So, a fair amount of dialogue for her. It was a really challenging role and she came into the film so prepared and with such enthusiasm and energy that she just made everything so easy. She's also a delightful human being. She embodies a lot of the characteristics of the character herself. She is a bookworm and highly intelligent and just a delight. We had almost a week prior to shooting where we were able to put a lot of the scenes on their feet and rehearse and spend time together. It very naturally came together in that time, that dynamic, but also just the fun of working with each other. We just had a blast. She's a total delight. I think she's an incredible actress. She knows what she's doing, you know what I mean? But she also embodies those characteristics too. It's a healthy mix of both.

Elijah Wood in 'Bookworm'. Photo: Rialto Distribution.

MF: What was it like playing a magician? Did you take inspiration from any real-life magicians, and did you learn any magic tricks for the movie?

EW: So, we had a spring shoot date looming, and months prior, Ant was sending me these Instagram videos of this magician with these highly complex tricks being like, "You can do this. You can learn this." I was like, "Does he expect me to learn these complex tricks ahead of time?" I was in the middle of production in Vancouver, and so I didn't have the time or head space to devote to it. It freaked me out a little bit, but I was like, "Okay, I need to get my head around something." Anyway, prior to shooting, for about a month prior, I spent time with a magician in Los Angeles called Mike Pisciotta, who's amazing. He's a close-up magician. He's I think the only magician on staff at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. He's amazing. My primary interest in sitting down with a magician wasn't to learn a trick specifically, because there is no actual trick in the film that I had to display in camera realistically. The important thing to me was just that anytime I'm handling cards, it looks like I know how to handle cards. Just dexterity. Shuffling, fanning, those basic things, just handling the cards right. So, for about a month, I met with him every week and just worked on basic shuffling and card dexterity, which was enough to get me to a place where, I felt on camera, any of those bits that involved cards, it just looked like I wasn't a total amateur. So that was the primary thing. Then regarding pulling inspiration, I mean, Ant had specific ideas. This is a process that we've gone through now twice, once on ‘Come to Daddy’ and on this as well where it starts with specific, almost outlandish concepts. Chris Angel was certainly an inspiration, that sort of rock and roll magician, so we'd start with that and then kind of find it in hair and makeup and wardrobe, and find something that is based on those inspirations but also exists in the real world, and finding the line honestly between something that feels absurd, because it is funny and it needs to be funny, whilst also feeling like it exists somewhat in the real world. It's a collaboration amongst all those elements to just find the character that way. It is a combination of putting those things together and knowing it when you see it and feel it. So, it was a bit of discovery, but it came together quickly in New Zealand with our hair and makeup department and with the wardrobe, and it was so much fun to find it.

(L to R) Nell Fisher and Elijah Wood in 'Bookworm'. Photo: Rialto Distribution.

MF: Finally, obviously you spent a lot of time in New Zealand filming ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies. What was it like to return and film their now, and how has it changed since you were first there?

EW: I mean, it obviously represents a huge part of my life. Look, it's an incredible place to go back to. It was a huge part of wanting to work on this film. It had been nine years since I'd been to New Zealand, so it's a flood of emotion for me. There are so many memories. We didn't go to Wellington, which is where I was based during ‘Lord of the Rings’ and on ‘The Hobbit’ as well. We were primarily in Canterbury, which is just outside of Christ Church, which I'd spent a little bit of time in, but not a ton. So, some of that was somewhat new to me as well, and that was fun. I got to bring my kids and my wife and that was also exciting for me that I got to share in this country with them. It's flying into Auckland, which I've done so many times, it just carries this incredible emotional resonance for me. It feels, in many ways, it feels like going home. I think it'll always feel that way. The better part of four years I was traveling there so often and living there part-time. So that hasn't left. I's wonderful to revisit and it's a place that I still really love. It's a very special place. I wish I would've capitalized on that slightly more 20 years ago. A part of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ cast, there's a sense of slight regret that none of us bought property when it was far easier and more affordable to do so.

What is the plot of ‘Bookworm’?

'Bookworm' follows 11-year-old Mildred (Nell Fisher) whose life takes a wild turn when her estranged father, Strawn Wise (Elijah Wood), a washed-up Las Vegas illusionist, suddenly reappears. Years ago, after a magical encounter with the once-charming Strawn, Mildred's mom moved back to New Zealand. Now, a comical mishap leaves Strawn caring for Mildred while her mom is hospitalized. Their first adventure? Camping to hunt for the mythological Canterbury Panther. As this mismatched duo navigates the wilderness, magic tricks, and an extraordinary quest, hilarity ensues, and they might just find a way to piece their family back together.