MovieChat Forums > The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Discussion > Elijah Wood's Adult Persona

Elijah Wood's Adult Persona

posted 8 years ago by kjnics
5 replies | jump to latest

This might be slightly off-topic, but I've observed something in the past fifteen years or so (since the Fellowship of the Ring premiered) regarding Elijah Wood's public persona and acting style (or the characters he has played) as an adult vs. when he was a child.

From a seemingly extroverted, precocious kid (think of his loud and cheerful, rambunctious, self-confident characters in Huck Finn, Oliver Twist, The War, etc.), he seemed to have transformed into a rather shy, reserved and introverted older teenager and adult (perhaps as far back as 1997 when he came out in the Ice Storm). His character in Lord of the Rings was gentle and quiet, but so were those in the subsequent Eternal Sunshine, Everything is Illuminated, Green Street Elite, etc.

I don't know him personally, of course. I'm just basing this observation off these quieter characters and the few interviews I've seen him in. Even when laughing, joking or being effusive with talk show hosts, he has seemed much more reserved as an adult than when he was 10 or 12 years old.

I'm not criticizing or condemning this shift, either; many people change as they grow older (which can often be a good thing). I still like his acting and public persona very much (he seems like a considerate and well-mannered person). I'm just curious if anyone else has noticed this, agrees or disagrees and/or has any thoughts regarding as to why it might be.

[–] magpie930 8 years ago

well, I've never thought of him as shy or introverted or even reserved. I see him more as composed. I think we see a lot of celebrities at a time when they're 'on' and promoting a movie and one has to be more engaged and animated in order to engage the audience and merchandise the movie/project.

If one isn't actively trying to be 'on' for the camera, one is able to just be still and comfortable in the situation.

I think it's not effective to try to track the demeanor of a person from childhood to adulthood. And I think expecting a person to have the same level of animation or engagement with others month in and month out is tricky as well. I have moods. I sometimes am very engaged with others and animated. Other times, I'm very quiet and introspective and can engage one to one but not so excited to jump into buzzier social situations.

Some celebrities, I think, get a lot of validation for being in the 'news' (in terms of social buzz, not traditional news). They are on instagram and twitter. Some will negotiate with other celebs to appear together to create social buzz.

I don't think Elijah is like that. He's got other interests outside of acting. He started his own record label. He is a DJ. And he founded a horror film production company. He's living life. He doesn't mind interacting with the public but he's not on show for the public. He's letting us look at him while he works. Not performing for us so we will look at him.

Additionally, I think you're looking at roles he's taking and equating them to his personality. He isn't the people he plays. It may tell us more about what kinds of projects appeal to him. He definitely skews indie. And it seems to me he might like the challenge of playing something that isn't straight-forward, trope-driven characterization. That might say more about his intellect than an intro/extroverted personality.

I know you're not judging... I take you at your word for that. But I'm still curious why this fascinates you. We don't know Elijah (as you said) and we will never know. So is this a larger 'meta' question of some sort? Looking at what fascinates you about this may be more important that trying to second hand analyze a star we only see on the screen.

and as a postscript... these are all impressions I have from watching him over the years and living life for a long time myself. But I wondered if I could find anything on him to back up my impressions. I'm not sure I've got a great source to back anything up but in one interview, he called himself 'grounded' which describes how I see him. And he credits it all to his mother. aww... us moms. We do good work sometimes. :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Fj-ygHtOk

cheers from the mom in the room.

[–] kjnics 8 years ago

I think we see a lot of celebrities at a time when they're 'on' and promoting a movie and one has to be more engaged and animated in order to engage the audience and merchandise the movie/project.

This is quite true; especially now in the age of so much hype. You're also right that an actor's characters don't necessarily reflect their personality; I was actually reflecting upon that as I wrote (and should have made that distinction).

But I'm still curious why this fascinates you. So is this a larger 'meta' question of some sort?

That's a good question; partially, I suppose, it's because I'm almost exactly the same age as Elijah. Both Macaulay Culkin (who is just about a year older) and him form a part of my boyhood film memories. It wasn't until the Fellowship of the Ring premiered, however, that I took much notice of him.

In all honesty I found his genteel version of Frodo (as well as his thoughtful Matt Buckner character from Green Street Elite) more interesting than his former rambunctious child characters (though they were good too). Now that I think about it, in some ways I likely identified with some aspects of these reflective characters and/or saw some of my own personality traits mirrored there (or in Elijah himself in some of his interviews).

I was reading the other day, incidentally, about some women who identified with some aspects of Madonna's Evita Perón character (as well as Patti LuPone's stage version, further back in the day). Film (or theatre) is always interesting in that sense; how we can see bits of ourselves reflected in it!

[–] magpie930 8 years ago

I think art is an excellent filter for which to examine life and, often, ourselves and our place in the world.

I have a decent amount of respect for Elijah. I like the word he used for himself: 'grounded'. I have watched other stars present themselves (mostly in terms of promoting a project) and liked what they had to say only to later be deeply disappointed in some of their life choices.

It really isn't useful for me to judge them. But Elijah's never disappointed me. I think he's good a good heart and a good head on him.

[–] Otaku-sempai 8 years ago

On the other hand, there is the stone-cold cannibal/killer he played in Sin City.

"Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved." - T. Isabella

[–] kjnics 8 years ago

You're right; that was a chilling one. He didn't say much in that roll, however (one mostly watched his eyes eerily glow).  However, Magpie is mostly right; his public persona (and private one) obviously differ somewhat and/or significantly from his characters (and are naturally susceptible to shifts/changes). That's the case with most of us.

He's actually been one of my favorite actors in the past (along with a few fellow Lord of the Rings ones, such as Cate Blanchett, Viggo, etc.) That's one of the reasons I find him and some of his co-stars interesting enough to observe.