Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Orcs
3. The Uruk-hai Stuntmen Were Scared Of Gimli
We're never told exactly how tall Gimli is, but dwarves are said to stand around 4ft high. Despite their small stature they were some of the most fearsome and formidable warriors in Middle Earth. Even Peter Jackson's 6ft plus Uruk-hai, had a tough time going up against the hobbit-sized Gimli.
It's somewhat ironic that the actor cast in the role of Gimli was one of the tallest members of the crew. John Rhys-Davies stood at around 6ft 1in; when dressed in full battle gear, he must have been one hell of an opposing figure. For many of the fight scenes, Jackson was required to use Gimli's scale double, to portray the difference in height; but there were certain scenes that required Rhys-Davies to duke it out with the orcs.
Rhys-Davies was apparently so menacing, and determined to hit his opponents - order or to "sell the scene" - that even the biggest stuntmen were terrified, when they had to face him.