10 Amazing Behind The Scenes Stories From The Lord Of The Rings
1. Viggo Mortensen Bought One Of The Stunt Team A Horse
Hundreds of horses were used across the filming of the LOTR, from the dark steeds of the Nazgûl, to the lord of all horses, Shadowfax. They are the unsung heroes of the movies; without them, the scenes of the Nazgûl pursuing Arwen, or the glorious charge of Théoden, would never have been so captivating.
But they weren't the only unsung heroes of the trilogy. Without the huge stunt team - tirelessly putting themselves in danger for the sake of cinema - non of these moments would have been captured. New Zealander, Jane Abbot, was one such stunt rider. Throughout the trilogy she played a number of roles, most notability, doubling for Liv Tyler during the chase sequence in the Fellowship.
It's no surprise that many of the actors and stunt riders developed a strong bond with the animals they worked with. Viggo Mortenson went on to purchase the horse he'd used. But for Jane Abbot, purchasing her four-legged, co-star - a stallion named Florian, and therefore hella expensive - was out of the question. Well, Mortenson thought no one had worked harder than the stunt crew, he purchased Florian with his own money and gifted him to Abbot.