Why LOTR Is Cemented as JOHN RHYS-DAVIES’ Favorite Experience

John Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones, The Lord of the Rings) joins us this week for one of my favorite interviews yet. The guy is prolific! He gets into everything from his pessimism heading into Lord of the Rings, the intimidation of working alongside Sean Connery, the immense difficulty of filming Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, and so much more. John was an open book this week, going on to talk about the pain of losing a child, his outlook on life after death, and the current vacuum of creativity our industry is stuck in. Hope you enjoy.

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Why LOTR Is Cemented as JOHN RHYS-DAVIES’ Favorite Experience #insideofyou #johnrhysdavies #lotr

[commantermormont]

His part as the voice of Treebeard was criminally underated.

[alecbrown]

John rhys-davis is a monumentally underrated actor with such a beautiful voice

[zaynevanday]

I was an extra on Fellowship I was a soldier in the NZ Army at the time it was a once in a lifetime experience I’ll never forget it 🔥

[jonnybaynham]

Considering in LOTR he had to wear prosthetics that he was actually allergic to and came out with a swollen face after taking it off, it really is testament to the cast and crew that it was his favourite experience.

[rayc]

“Toss me... I cannot jump the distance, you’ll have to toss me.”

[livinlicious]

The fact that Lord of the Rings trilogy was made is a small miracle.
The odds against this working out are so astronomical.
Especially back in those days nobody had ever done 3 movies of that scale.
And the fact that they succeeded.
They actually made the definitive movies. There will probably never be an adaption of Lord of the Rings that is better than those movies forever.

[JaceyMitchell]

I'd happily listen to any audiobook narrated by John Rhys-Davies.

[VictoriaKnight-Rodrigues]

This is why LOTR is so special. It’s truly rare to see a cast and crew where everyone got along, loved their part, respected the writers and director, etc. The fact that they all speak so highly of one another and are incredibly close friends to this day makes a fan like me so happy. I recommend watching all the behind the scenes of these movies if you haven’t, so much heart went into the films, an authenticity today’s films don’t have. I’ll forever be a huge fan of this trilogy and it will always be #1 in my opinion…❤

[Bigbacon]

fact he talked about the crew says everything.

[JEBossTon]

Just hearing him say “Lord of the Rings” sends shivers down my spine… 💯🔥

[Rodshark]

You know he loves it because he says it is one of his favorite movie experiences despite the hell he had to go through being allergic to the prosthetics they put on him, He spent like a year with swollen, puffy, lymph covered eyes due to it.

[johnharris]

The younger actors love working with John. Elijah Wood told the story of how John took Elijah and the rest of the cast out to dinner and John told the waiter "No menu, lets have filet mignon and lobster for everyone" and then he paid for it.

[ianbauer]

"I went with duplicity in my heart." LOL

[vietnameeseguy]

“We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous in short distances!” 😂

[M_DeVeuve]

As someone who has practically religiously watched the LotR movies since they came out, him naming them as his favorite experience, even down to the crew, makes me so happy

[randommemebean]

80 years old and still killing it. Fuck yeah

[MaxxUS]

I loved this guy in Last Crusade. "That car belonged to my brother in-law."

[tennesseecopperhead]

I got to meet John 2 years ago in Knoxville. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He stayed till most of the lights had been turned off to make sure he was able to see everyone who came to see him. He took lots of time with his fans to answer questions, talk, even play around a little. Even when the event staff was trying to rush him, he would ignore them and focus on his fans. He wanted to make sure everyone who came to see him was able too. Such a great person!!

[ozzyg]

Watch the extended films and all the appendices - it’s as close to living that wonderful experience as us mere mortals will get. It looked such a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience for pretty much everyone involved.

[CompelledUsername]

Even Christopher Lee - who continued doing Hammer Horror films well beyond their sell-by (sacrificing a lot of his future credibility and cache in the process) to keep a family of talent and crew together out of pure loyalty - said that was the best crew he ever worked with.

That says it all. Glad John echoes that.