Elijah Wood wants a great script, not just a character (Video)

Dan’s 2-Minute Screenwriting School strikes again, this time with a short interview with actor Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Ice Storm, Green Street Hooligans, Sin City, and the American version of the single-camera sitcom “Wilfred”).

I’m equally attracted to just simply a great script and not necessarily great character.

I asked Elijah the same question I’ve been asking of other actors/filmmakers, like Louis C.K., Vincent Kartheiser and Graham Yost, and his answer was quite intriguing…

While other actors have said it’s all about character, he’s saying it’s all about the film. Not just a great part for him to play, but a great screenplay (sound familiar?).

His filmography has certainly borne this out, with roles in quirky, distinctive films like Sin City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 9, The Ice Storm. and even the Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right (Revisited). After the monster hits that were the Lord of the Rings films, he could have signed on to more major studio franchises, but he chose to go a more unique route with his career and I can only commend him for this.

Transcript:

Dan: Elijah, I’m talking to you underneath my framed print of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, so I’m a major nerd!

Elijah Wood: Nice! Awesome.

Dan: What do you look for in a script, whether it’s TV or film?

Elijah Wood: I think I’m always looking for something very different from anything that I’ve done. I’m equally attracted to just simply a great script and not necessarily great character. Sometimes (it can be) great characters in the context of a script that isn’t as interesting, but I suppose I’m almost just as interested in being a part of an entire piece that is brilliant even if it’s a small part to play in that entire piece. I’m always just looking for something that I’ve never done and feels unique and special. And it’s also just gut, what you emotionally connect with, and that can be a variety of things, I suppose.

Thanks to Elijah Wood, Jason Gann and Kristy Silvernail at FX Networks!

Good Luck and Happy Writing,

Dan

Click to read excerpts