The Lord Of The Rings: 10 Scenes Actors HATED Shooting

One of the most climactic moments in the entire series came during the Return of the King when the Rohirrim charged the forces of Mordor. It was one of the greatest and most complex battle sequences put to screen.

Thousands of charging horsemen were seen sweeping away tens of thousands of orcs. Dozens of giant Mûmakil were shown wreaking havoc on an epic scale; and King Théoden gave his rousing battle speech before gloriously dying. The climax came when Éowyn heroically defeated the Witch King, brandishing the line "I am no man!" with all the ferocity of a sword. It was captivating stuff.

But such a breathtaking sequence didn't come without its challenges. Actress Miranda Otto portrayed the shield-maiden of Rohan perfectly. She'd be the first to admit she wasn't a natural swordswoman, however, and the work she put into wielding a blade took its toll.

Although the fight sequences were performed with safety weapons, she still had to exert a huge amount of energy to sell the scene; no easy task when you're going up against the 6-foot-something actor, Lawrence Makoare (the Witch King).

Peter Jackson worked Otto so hard that she was left in tears by the end of the shoot.