Elijah: 'Bobby' And 'Happy Feet'
Elijah Wood is a busy actor. He has long since moved from the role of Frodo, the Hobbit hero of "Lord of the Rings." He is in two current movies, and he spoke about them with The Saturday Early Show co-anchor Tracy Smith.
Wood is featured in "Bobby," an all-star drama about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and he also stars in something completely different. "Happy Feet," the No. 1 weekend box office hit, is an animated musical with Wood giving voice to Mumble, an outcast penguin who cannot sing — but, boy, can he dance!
The first film, "Bobby," has 22 fictional characters whose lives intersect at the hotel where RFK was shot. It deals with a lot of the issues that were prevalent in the '60s, from civil rights to drug use to Vietnam (which is where Wood's character comes in). All the parts are fairly small, so why did Wood want to work on this film?
"A variety of reasons," said Wood. "I read the script and was blown away by … the fact they were able to blend that many characters in the story politically and socially and, ultimately, the impact that Bobby had struck me. I was not familiar with RFK, growing up. It was barely skirted upon in school. So reading (the script), it was astounding, the kind of impact he had, and I wanted to be a part of something like that, that could bring his legacy to a new generation."
Click here for photos of the "Happy Feet" premiere.
Click here for photos of "Bobby" at the AFI Fest.
Click here for photos of "Bobby" in Toronto.
Click here for photos of "Bobby" in Venice.
Click here for photos of "Bobby" in Deauville.
If his name is enough for some people to see the movie, Wood said, "That's great. (RFK) was an incredibly powerful and important figure in our history, and we certainly need someone like that, again. It will help people remember some of the important things we need to stand up for."
Smith wanted to know how the Kennedy family has reacted to the movie.
"I don't believe many have seen it," Wood replied. "But the reaction has been very positive. They fully back the film. They are in amazing support of the film. I think some of those who were closer to Bobby don't really want to see it, understandably. I think it's a little bit too close… You know, we do show the assassination and the mayhem that follows. It's very hard to watch, even for someone who is not connected. So I can only imagine how it must be for them.
"But they do support the film, which is wonderful."
All of the actors worked for scale, and they shot the film quickly. Director Emilio Estevez called it "guerrilla-style filmmaking."
Wood said the total filming time was 38 days, and he himself was shot for seven or eight days.
"The fact that there are so many incredible name actors inside the film … goes to show their passion and belief in it," the actor said.
Mumble, the character voiced by Wood, "is born without the ability to sing and, in our film, we have this notion that emperor penguins have a 'heart song,' and emperor penguins do recognize each other vocally. He is born without the ability to sing but has an incredible ability to dance and, because of that, he is kicked out of the community. But he has an amazing sense of self throughout, taking him on, ultimately, a much larger journey as he leaves Antarctica and discovers why the fish are missing.
"It ends up becoming environmental."
Smith wanted to know if Wood can sing, and he responded, "I can sing OK. Do you want me to sing?"
Replied the co-anchor, "You are such a good sport, Elijah. I won't put you on the spot. Thanks so much."