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>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK TO "RETURN TO NEW ZEALAND: A
MAGICAL LAND WHERE HUGS STILL HAPPEN." AS I CASUALLY MENTIONED EARLIER,
WHILE I WAS IN NEW ZEALAND, I GOT TO SPEND TIME FILMING A
MOVIE TRAILER WITH ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING WRITER-DIRECTOR
SIR PETER JACKSON. CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE. I STAYED AT HIS HOUSE. WE HAD DINNER AT THE ORIGINAL
BAG END. NO BIG DEAL. WHICH IS ON HIS PROPERTY. BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK I
SPENT MY WHOLE TIME RUNNING AROUND, NERDING OUT OVER "LORD
OF THE RINGS." I SPENT PLENTY OF TIME SITTING
DOWN, NERDING OUT OVER "LORD OF THE RINGS." SO, HERE IS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN
FOOTAGE FROM THAT RARE INTERVIEW WITH SIR PETER. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US
DOWN HERE AT YOUR STUDIO. >> YEAH, YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. >> Stephen: NOW, WHERE ARE WE? WHAT-- WHAT IS THIS ACTUAL SPACE
WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW? >> WELL, THIS IS-- THIS IS A
SECRET LOCATION SOMEWHERE IN NEW ZEALAND. >> Stephen: RIGHT, GOT THAT. >> THERE'S NO G.P.S. TRACKING. >> Stephen: NOPE. ALL OF OUR PHONES HAVE BEEN
CONFISCATED. >> HERE'S A SECRET LOCATION
SOMEWHERE-- SOMEWHERE IN NEW ZEALAND THAT HOUSES OUR
MINIATURES. MOST OF THEM ARE FROM "LORD OF
THE RINGS." SO, MOST OF THESE ARE GETTING ON
FOR 20 YEARS OLD. >> Stephen: YOU'RE A SELF-TAUGHT
FILMMAKER. YOU STARTED MAKING LOW-BUDGET
HORROR MOVIES LIKE "DEAD ALIVE." WHAT WAS THE TRANSITION FROM
THAT TO ACCLAIMED OSCAR-WINNING WHAT WAS THE TRANSITION FROM
THAT TO ACCLAIMED OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR? >> THE TRANSITION WAS I-- WELL,
FRAN WAS-- FRAN, MY PARTNER-- WAS INTERESTED IN A NEW ZEALAND
MURDER CASE THAT HAPPENED IN THE 1950's. AND SHE WAS-- AND SO, I STARTED
TO RESEARCH IT WITH HER, AND IT BECAME "HEAVENLY CREATURES,"
WHICH IS KATE WINSLET'S FIRST FILM. SO-- AND THEN AFTER THAT WE DID
"THE FRIGHTENERS." SO "THE FRIGHTENERS" WAS A VERY
EARLY C.G.I. FILM. WE HAD ABOUT 30 COMPUTERS. AND SO, WHEN THAT FILM FINISHED,
WE WERE STILL PAYING THESE BILLS. AND SO, WE-- WHAT CAN WE DO TO
KEEP THESE 30 COMPUTERS GOING? SO, I THOUGHT, WELL, I WANT
THOSE FANTASY FILMS, BUT WITH C.G.I. CREATURES. BCAUSE "JURASSIC PARK" WAS
COMING OUT, AND WE HAD THE-- THE COMPUTERS TO DO IT. WE WONDERED WHO HAD RIGHT TO
"LORD OF THE RINGS." >> Stephen: SINCE I GOT YOU, I
HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT "LORD OF THE RINGS." >> OH, MY. >> JUST "THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
RING." WHAT WAS THE FIRST C.G.I. THING
THAT YOU CREATED FOR "LORD OF THE RINGS"? >> I KNEW I HAD TO DO BATTLE
SCENES. YEAH, HUGE BATTLE SCENES. AND IN HOLLYWOOD FILMS, EVEN
THOUGH, YOU KNOW, YOU SORT OF SEE THESE BIG SPECTACULAR
EPICS-- WHEN IT-- WHEN IT GETS TO THE BIG CROWDS, THERE'S
REALLY ONLY, LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AT THE MOST, 1,000 PEOPLE,
2,000 PEOPLE. AND, I MEAN, TOLKIEN WRITES
ABOUT HELM'S DEEP, THERE'S, LIKE, 10,000 URUK-HAI. SO, THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT WAS
TO DO IT IN A COMPUTER. AND SO, WE CREATED A SOFTWARE
CALLED "MASSIVE." EACH OF THE COMPUTER PEOPLE HAD
THEIR OWN BRAIN. 7
THEY HAVE TO WALK AND DO THEIR OWN THING AND MAKE THEIR OWN
CHOICES. AND IT WAS FUNNY. THE VERY FIRST TEST, WE HAD,
LIKE, 30-- 30 C.G.I. PEOPLE RUNNING IT THROUGH, IS THAT HALF
OF THEM TURNED AND RAN-- RAN AWAY. <i> ( LAUGHS )</i>
AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE SMART ONES. SO, WE HAD TO MUS-- SO WE HAD TO
DUMB THEM DOWN AND TELL THEM TO STAY FIGHTING. YOU DON'T TURN AROUND, JUST--
>> Stephen: SO YOU DON'T KNOW HOW THE BATTLE'S GOING TO TURN
OUT? >> NO, NO. NO, YOU TEACH-- SO, IF YOU GOT--
IF YOU GOT ORCS FIGHTING ELVES, YOU'VE GOT THE-- THESE C.G.I. ORCS ARE TAUGHT HOW TO FIGHT
LIKE AN ORC. THE C.G.I. ELVES ARE TAUGHT HOW
TO FIGHT LIKE AN ELF, WEAPONS THEY USE, THE SORT OF STYLES
THEY USE. >> Stephen: YOU'RE CAPTURING
THE ACTION, RATHER THAN, LIKE, DIRECTING. >> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. NO, YOU ARE LITERALLY NOT IN
CONTROL OF IT, NO, NO. SO, YOU HAVE THESE HUGE BATTLE
SCENES WHERE THE-- WHERE THESE HORSES, LIKE, IN "RETURN OF THE
KING," LIKE, SIX-- 6,000 HORSES ARE PLOWING INTO THIS-- INTO
THIS FIELD OF ORCS. AND THAT RENDERS FOR ABOUT THREE
DAYS, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA BE LIKE. AND WE-- WE WAIT AND--<i>
( LAUGHS )</i> SEE, WHAT'S GOING TO-- BECAUSE
THEY'RE ALL-- THE HORSES ARE THE RIDERS, THE ORCS, THEY'RE ALL
GONNA MAKE THEIR OWN MIND UP FOR WHAT THEY DO--
>> Stephen: YOU'RE BAKING A CAKE, AND YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW
IT'S GOING TO TURN OUT UNTIL IT ACTUALLY--
>> NO, NO, NO. >> Stephen: WELL, IS THERE-- OF
ALL THOSE THINGS, OF ALL THE-- OF THE MOMENTS THAT YOU CREATED
IN "LORD OF THE RINGS," AND IN "THE HOBBIT," IS THERE A SCENE
THAT YOU, EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF LIVING WITH IT, YOU
GO-- YOU SAY TO YOURSELF, "I'D LIKE TO GO BACK AND SEE THAT
AGAIN?" >> I ALWAYS GET ASKED WHAT--
WHICH IS MY FAVORITE "LORD OF THE RINGS" FILM? WHICH YOU DIDN'T ASK, BECAUSE
YOU'RE SMARTER THAN THAT. BUT WHAT YOU ASKED IS, WHAT WAS
MY FAVORITE SCENE? WHICH IS, ACTUALLY, WHICH IS
WHAT I THINK ABOUT. LIKE, I LOVE THE MINES OF
MORIA SEQUENCE FROM "THE FELLOWSHIP." YOU KNOW, WE MAKE-- GO THROUGH
THE DOOR AND RUN AWAY THROUGH THE BRIDGE AND GET UPSTAIRS. I THINK, I-- YOU KNOW, I JUST
LIKE THAT SEQUENCE, FOR SOME REASON. THE SCENE THAT I THINK CAPTURES
A LOT OF THE SPIRIT-- AND IT WAS A SORT OF A LATE SCENE, IS THAT
WE WERE SHOOTING "TWO TOWERS," AND THAT WAS INTRODUCING GOLLUM. AND A KEY THING WITH GOLLUM AS
MOST PEOPLE KNOW, IS THAT HE'S SMEAGOL AND HE'S GOLLUM, AND
IT'S, LIKE, A SPLIT. AND THEY-- BUT WE HAD GOT A
SCENE WHERE THEY REALLY-- WHERE THAT GOT SOLD, WHERE YOU REALLY
GOT THE IDEA, AH, OKAY, THIS GUY IS TWO PEOPLE. SO, WE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED IT,
BUT WE HAD NO TIME TO SHOOT IT. SO FRAN WROTE A SCENE WHERE--
SAM AND FRODO ARE ASLEEP. SO THEY CAN BE JUST LUMPS IN THE
BED-- WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO HAVE ELIJAH AND SEAN-- AND A LITTLE
SET. AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE TO
DIRECT IT, SO I SAID TO FRAN, "WELL, YOU WROTE IT. YOU SHOULD GO AND SHOOT IT." <i> ( LAUGHS )</i>
SO, SHE WENT IN THERE FOR A DAY, AND SHE WROTE AND DIRECTED
THE SCENE, WHICH HAS BECOME KIND OF PRETTY FAMOUS NOW. >> YOU'RE A LIAR. AND A THIEF. NO. MURDERER! >> Stephen: (WHISPERS)
"MURDER, MURDER." >> YES, AND THAT WAS A LATE
THOUGHT, BECAUSE WE JUST REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED IT TO
REALLY SELL THE IDEA TO THE AUDIENCE. >> Stephen: IT WAS TWO OF THEM. >> OF WHO THIS GUY IS. AND FRAN WROTE IT, WROTE AND
SHOT IT WITH A TINY CREW. >> Stephen: I RECENTLY SAT DOWN
WITH JACINDA ARDERN, YOUR PRIME MINISTER. >> YES. >> Stephen: AND SHE REVEALED
THAT SHE AUDITIONED FOR "THE LORD OF THE RINGS," AND DIDN'T
GET A PART. IS THAT AWKWARD NOW WHEN YOU RUN
INTO HER? >> NOW, DO YOU RECKON SHE WAS
TELLING THE TRUTH? WAS THAT? >> Stephen: SHE SAID-- I MEAN, I
HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT-- >> NO, NO. I--
>> Stephen: --THE LEADER OF YOUR COUNTRY. >> NO, NO, I-- IT CERTAINLY
WASN'T A JOKE. >> Stephen: WE HAD HER-- WE HAD
HER AUDITION AGAIN. >> YOU DID? >> Stephen: YEAH. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HER
AUDITION? >> OH, YEAH. OH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >> Stephen: HERE WE GO. >> IF YOU WANT HIM, COME AND
CLAIM HIM. >> IF YOU WANT HIM, COME AND
CLAIM HIM. >> Stephen: BOOM. WOULD YOU LIKE TO APOLOGIZE? PETER? DO THE RIGHT THING. >> I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT,
JACINDA. AND, CLEARLY, 20 YEARS AGO, I
MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. >> Stephen: OKAY, YOU'RE A BIG
MAN, FOR SUCH A SMALL MAN. >> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: WHEN WE RETURN, MY
CELEBRATION OF NEW ZEALAND CONTINUES, AND I GET TO
PARTICIPATE IN A TRADITIONAL MAORI HAKA. IT'S AMAZING! I HAD BRUISES ON MY THIGHS FOR A
WEEK. ♪ ♪ ♪
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