Published 16:12 IST, December 18th 2019
Lord of the Rings TV series search for 'weird-looking' actors to play orcs
Castings agents for The Lord of the Rings Series are currently looking for people with fewer teeth, extra wrinkles and usual amounts of body hair to play orcs.
The castings agents for The Lord of the Rings TV Series are currently looking for people with fewer teeth, extra wrinkles and usual amounts of body hair to play the orcs and goblins. In the highest budgeted TV programme, the 'different' looking actors are wanted by two casting agents based in Auckland, New Zealand. The TV adaption of JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy story is all set to start the filming next year. And reportedly in their words, one of the companies is after people who are either under five feet tall, or over six feet tall.
The casting agents want actors who must possess 'wonderful noses' or 'character faces'. It also added that if a person has natural red hair, white hair, or lots of freckles, they will have more chances to bag a role in Amazon's Prime new famous project. The advertisement also put a casting call for 'long lithe dancers', 'stocky mean-looking bikers', and 'redheads of all ages, shapes and sizes'. The actors who will be selected to play orcs and goblins will also receive £148 per day.
Idea to save money
Amazon has already spent nearly £190 million just to obtain the rights of the show which will also be the first adaption since Peter Jackson's films in the early 2000s. In order to save money in other areas, the remarkably high budget show wants to spend less on the make-up and prosthetics by hiring people who resemble the character. Reportedly, the details of the show's cast and plot are kept away from the public eye but it will be based on Tolkien's work. It was in September when Amazon that it will film the Lord of the Rings Series in New Zealand and marked the return of orcs, elves, and hobbits to the country.
“As we searched for the location in which we could bring to life the primordial beauty of the Second Age of Middle-earth, we knew we needed to find somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains,” showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay wrote in a statement.
(With PTI inputs)
Updated 16:48 IST, December 18th 2019