10 Lord Of The Rings Extras Who Got Themselves Noticed
6. Figwit
When it came to casting the elves, the production team had the job of finding characters who were particularly suited for the role. Tolkien's elves were presented as angelic beings, with slender frames, high cheek bones and defined jaw lines. In short they were the super models of Middle Earth. It's no surprise then that the leading cast of elves were made up of actors like Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and Liv Tyler (Arwen).
But they also needed striking background actors to play the elf extras. One in particular caused such a stir amongst the fandom that a whole internet campaign was started to identify the actor. Even a documentary was made about tracking down the famed elven stunner.
The elf in question, only appeared for a total of three seconds during the Council of Elrond in the Fellowship. The actor turned out to be one half of the comedy duo, Flight of the Conchords, Brett McKenzie. Fans dubbed the character "Figwit", an acronym for "Frodo is grea... who is THAT?!?". Peter Jackson decided to bring the character back for the Return of the King as a way to honour the fanbase.
McKenzie also appeared in the Hobbit, but this time he was given an official name, Lindir, who is a different elf entirely.