TORONTO — Stars of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies — including Canada’s Evangeline Lilly — were on hand Monday as director Peter Jackson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood and Lee Pace also attended the ceremony honouring the 53-year-old filmmaker.
Serkis, who played Gollum in the LOTR trilogy and the first Hobbit film and also starred in Jackson’s 2005 King Kong remake, praised Jackson.
“You brought much-needed magic, mystery, cinematic poetry, creative ambition and most of all joy to the film industry,” he said.
“You really are, genuinely, one of the greatest filmmakers on the planet.”
Jackson and Pace flew to Los Angeles after attending the Canadian premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies on Saturday in Toronto.
While Jackson appeared to be wearing the same outfit at both events, Pace had shaved off the beard he was sporting in Toronto.
Jackson received the 2,538th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s embedded in the cement outside the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards.
Unveilings are typically timed to coincide with the release of the inductee’s latest project (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies comes out Dec. 17). It costs more than $30,000 to get a star — a fee normally paid by the movie studio or record label.
“Forty years ago I walked along the street and looked at these stars and never, ever in my wildest dreams thought I would ever find myself here today to receive a star,” Jackson told the crowd.
Comments