LOTR: The cast PRAISE the filmmakers of the Lord of the Rings!

After filming the final pick-up shots for Return of the King in 2003, there were many emotional speeches from actors and crew members, captured in the behind-the-scenes material. Christopher Lee praised the crew, calling their work "sheer magical" and highlighting their collective effort. John Rhys-Davies also gave a heartfelt speech, expressing his admiration for the passion and dedication he found in New Zealand, contrasting it with his experiences in LA. This dedication and emotion contributed significantly to the success of the movies.

[debrickashaw]

Hearing Christopher Lee say that after all the movies he has been a part of must have been the best compliment a movie crew could have received from the most esteemed person in the industry

Also, John Rhys Davies tearing up got to me too.

[davidmcaninch]

Just one more fact of why I truly believe that Lord of the Rings is the greatest film trilogy of all time, because you hear of actors and actresses who hated even working on the movie or show, but when you watch Lord of the Rings, you can see that everyone treated it with great respect and love. Not just the movies themselves, but the books that they were based on, the author who created Middle-Earth, that of course being the legend that is JRR Tolkien!!

[TheHyena-rubz]

John Rhy-Davis saying you don't find that passion/magic in LA is something that aged like fine wine.

[cynthiaahern]

The joy on christopher lee's face, receiving that staff was immense. It was like giving a kid their favorite toy for christmas

[jantjarks]

One does not simply leave Middle Earth.

[devporter]

Both Christopher Lee and John Rhys-Davies are astonishing men who have achieved great things. For them to praise the film crew in such a way truly represents the dedication, passion and gritt that the crew and actors put into the movies. Thank you for this lovely video!

[Joshua_N-A]

Lee wasn't wrong here. The making of the movies were magic itself.

[math]

Christopher Lee saying you are the best is worth A LOT.

[terrifiedt]

John-Rhys Davies' words speak true to this day.

[leavoda]

Everything I ever saw about the making of the LOTR absolutely cements my belif that all of it was the hard labour of love.
Every single person contributing to this masterpiece gave their best on any given day. There are no other stories ever filmed with this much dedication, love for any of the jobs on and off site or passion to do the best you can in and for every scene.
This masterpiece belongs to every single person that was the part of that wast crew of creators. ❤❤❤

[shawnheidingsfelder]

Man, you can see in that clip of John Rhys-Davies how much suffering he endured having to wear those facial prosthetics when he was allergic to them. His poor eyes. I'm glad he endured and made it till the end. Gimli wouldn't have been the same with another actor.

[patrickotte]

Like Viggo said Lee was almost like the ghost of Tolkien on set because of his immense love for the books and having met Tolkien. It must have been such an honor to hear him say this

[PickledShark]

It isn’t just “one of the reasons.” It is absolutely the reason these films are the greatest of all time. Because any other reason that can be cited for their success can be traced back to the passion of the people making it.

[Ka_tari_na]

If I were part of that crew and heard these great legendary actors said that… I’d bawled my eyes out.

[Saphira]

it was years ago and still i sit here crying missing dearly the magic of this cast and the jurney behind and infront of the camera

[emptyblue]

I don’t think we will ever see a trilogy of movies so perfect again for a long time.

[attitudeproblem]

Ouch! That is a _huge_ indictment on LA. Seemed like it was foreshadowing, considering the current state of Hollywood.☕️🐸

[useyourimaginasean]

John Rhys-Davies got me choked up too. I’m a filmmaker myself. It’s hard to get things done for the love of something worth sharing. Let alone TOLKIEN. I couldn’t imagine the level of responsibility everyone on that set must have felt. I hope I can make things 1% as great as what was accomplished with this trilogy.

[Goblin_deez.]

Thank you Mr Updates for finding these bits and pieces, all these odd clips and commentary make me feel like a child again and reminds me of the happiest times in my life

I sometimes see lotr clips and just wonder where I went wrong in life but at the same time it inspires me to do better, it makes me feel at home

[The_Stranger]

You won't find this kind of love, appreciation and dedication on the set of rings of power.