Press Archive » Questions and Answers (1 October 1996)

"I don't really have an ego at all. . ."
Although Elijah Wood has been noted by critics as being "The most confident actor of his generation," his view of himself is very different. I spoke with Elijah about his perspective of himself and his career, as well as his views on the whole "MTV Generation."

Q. What do you think has been your most challenging role so far?
E: My most recent character, in a film called The Ice Storm, was one of the most difficult; this guy, Mikey, was really spacey and more complicated than the outside view. Being hard to figure out, it was hard to play him.

Q. How was he spacey?
E: He thinks a lot, and he's always somewhere else besides reality. But he sees things better than other people see them. Another really challenging role for me was probably Stu Simmons in The War.

Q. The War was a very deep movie. How does acting in movies like that effect you emotionally?
E: You have to put a lot of yourself into it, and conjure up emotions. Some actors try to think unhappy thoughts and make themselves sad. I don't really do that, but I try to make my whole body sad. I just completely put myself into the role while the camera is rolling.

Q. There are lots of young male actors your age, like Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Is it very competitive for you?
E: No. I'm not competing for roles. I think others create competition between us. Like [during The Good Son], Macauley Culkin and I supposedly had some competition, but it wasn't true. For me, acting is finding good material and doing the best I can at it, not beating another actor.

Q. People must always come up to you and say, "We've watched you grow up on film." Does it bother you that you're life seems so accessible to people?
E: It's kind of like you're under a microscope. It amazes me, because I don't realize how closely people watch me. But what they're observing is not personal - it's just a character.

Q. How have you changed as an actor from your first big role in the film Avalon to today?
E: Over the last 3-4 years, I've viewed acting in a more serious light. I think I love it more now, and I have an even greater appreciation for it. Every role since Avalon has been a step up, and has pushed me into the adult acting area.

Q. What type of support do you get from your family?
E: I'm not pushed into acting. The support I get from my family is wonderful. If I wanted to quit, they would support that decision too.

Q. Have you ever done anything to make your parents upset?
E: Little things, like if I don't feed the dogs or something. Sometimes I'll be mean to my sister, but she can be annoying [laughing]. Just brotherly things, nothing specific.

Q. How does school fit into your schedule?
E: I have a home study program. I work half on the Internet, and half with books. English has always been my favorite, because I love writing, creative writing and poetry are a lot of fun for me. I love reading, too. I have so many favorite books, like Dracula and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Q. I heard you're a straight A student. True?
E: Well, yeah, but on my last report card I had a few A minuses. I just want to have the best grades possible.

Q. Why are you concerned about your education?
E: A good education, especially English, can contribute greatly to an actor's perspective. An education also makes you a well-rounded person.

Q. What if someone told you they wanted to quit school to pursue acting full time?
E: I would say no. Education is too valuable. It forms who you're going to be, and helps you excel at more things. I guess I'm just a believer in staying in school. Quitting school is giving up, in a way.

Q. Our generation has been called the MTV Generation, Generation X, etc. Are these fair and accurate?
E: I think they're stereotypical. Yeah, there are slackers, but there are millions of people who really work hard and pursue things. Those labels don't apply to everyone.

Q. Movies have gotten a bad rap for being too violent and profane these days. Is this fair?
E: The people need to be responsible and not be influenced so much by movies. As far as content goes in films, the morals of the people have definitely declined. I mean, even just four years ago, movies that are rated NC-17 were unheard of.

Q. Do movies reflect society?
E: Yeah, because someone had to write it down - it came from someone's mind, from their surroundings and experiences. I think movies do reflect what we have become, and what we are becoming.

Q. Are there any actors you'd like to work with?
E: Lots! Robin Williams, Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman. I'd love to be directed by Kenneth Branagh. He's capable of so much. He really made Shakespeare come alive [in Much Ado About Nothing].

Q. You've been really aloof about the whole dating thing. Why is that?
E: I am sincerely not dating right now, because I don't really have time for it. As far as having a girlfriend, it would have to be someone really special. But it would be a responsibility; I would want to make time for something like that. Also, I don't want to grow up too fast. Childhood is an amazing thing.

Q. How important to you is it to win an Oscar or one of those big awards?
E: Too much importance has been put on the Oscar. An Oscar for me would be a really nice compliment, but I wouldn't think of myself differently. A lot of times, after people win Oscars, they believe they're proven themselves as actors or actresses, when they're only being honored for a particular role. And when you believe you are good, you're not always so good anymore.

Q. Do you believe you're not that good?
E: I can always be better. I'm not bad, but I'm not great. If I stop striving to do better and assume that I've already achieved greatness, I wouldn't continue doing the best I could.

Q. Critics have called you, "the most confident actor" of your generation. How do you respond to praise like that?
E: You know, it doesn't even effect me. I don't understand why. I don't really have an ego at all. That's just a compliment, and it's nice, but I have to keep striving to actually achieve what was said about me.

Q. Would you do another film with animals?
E: Yeah, I love animals; they can be easier to work with than people. [In Flipper], I would have gotten right in with the dolphins on the first day if they asked me to.

Q. How do you deal with it when a film doesn't do well?
E: It doesn't really bother me that much. I'm emotionally attached to the film that I do, but more so to the role that I played. How the film does in the box office is only at the back of my mind.

Q. Do you want to direct?
E: I really do, but I hate to say that, because it is kind of jumping on the bandwagon. I just love film making altogether, and I have a great respect for it. I love creating a story, putting it on film, and executing it in a beautiful way. And I decided I want o be a director on my own, not because everyone else is doing it.

Q. What qualities in a person do you most admire?
E: I like honesty, and people that are real,who don't buy into all the bad stuff [like drugs], but who are really just themselves. It's sad because a lot of kids these days feel they have to be a certain way in order to be popular. I think being different, being against the grain of society, is the greatest thing in the world.