Urban Legend

"These are indeed strange days," says Eomer as the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy unfold around him. That's a pretty fair summary of the life of the actor who is playing him in the second and third Lord of the Rings films. "It was just an amazing experience," says Karl Urban of his work on the trilogy, speaking during the Starfury Chariots of War convention. "I play a character called Eomer, who is the Chief Rider of the Riders of Rohan," he states. "I'm the nephew of King Theoden."

Urban thoroughly enjoyed working on the films. "It was really lovely," he says. "I felt very privileged to be offered a role in the films, and to be working alongside the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Bernard Hill [King Theoden] and John Rhys-Davies. I found it an invaluable experience from all points – watching them and seeing the different ways that they approach the craft."

Saddle Sore
As one of the Riders, Urban spends a large amount of his screen time on horseback. Earlier in his career, he had worked on a New Zealand children's TV show about horses, Riding High, so he already had some experience. "Probably one of the most challenging aspects of this job was becoming a really proficient horse rider," he explains. "The name of my character literally translated is 'Horse-Man' or 'Man of the Horse'. The Rohans are a culture that is based around the horse motif. They rely on it for transport, agriculture and whatever trade they have. I invested a lot of time into becoming a good horse rider and being able to do all of my own horse riding for the films. That was probably one of the most rewarding aspects of the job."

As a native New Zealander, Urban didn't have as far to travel as the rest of the cast to The Lord of the Rings' exotic locations. Although he agrees that Tolkien's story necessitates some green screen work, he points out that "where The Lord of the Rings differs from a lot of big budget films these days is that we actually went out there in South Island where these places exist." Rather than try to recreate the city of Idaras on a sound stage and then place it in a new location through the wonders of computers, "they built it in the middle of this mountainous valley. Idaras actually existed. They built an extraordinary amount of sets, so I think they relied less on special effects, more on utilising the natural beauty and magic of New Zealand.

In common with much of the rest of the population, Urban was familiar with Tolkien's classic tale before starting work on the films, but he admits that he hadn't pictured himself in the role of Eomer when he read the novels. Eomer is originally the Third Marshall of Riddermark, and his loyalty to his king and Gandalf – as well as his well-founded suspiciouns of Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) – land him in some trouble. However, despite being tested, his loyalty shines through and eventually he is named as Theoden's heir. "I see me when I look in the mirror," Urban laughs. "But when I've got the costume on, and the wig, and I get in the right frame of mind, it brings the character to life."

Fan Scrutiny
Urban is looking forward to the opportunities that exposure in The Lord of the Rings will bring. He started acting at the age of eight on a New Zealand TV show, but he suspended his acting career until after high school. A yaer on soap opera Shortland Street followed, and he found that university studies didn't attracted him as much as acting. Accordingly, he worked on a number of shows, notably Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: The Warrior Princess.

"As and actor, I don't think I can plan too much ahead," he points out. "A certain amount of my future is in the hands of other people, to an extent. I can only invest in myself so much, but ultimately it's up to someone else to employ me. I think it's really important to try to live your life, live in the moment, and not preconceive or plan too much. There's a certain freedom that comes with spontaneity that I personally respond to. I do believe in having goals and I do have them, but I don't necessarily have a strict predetermined time frame of when these goals have to be achieved. I certainly feel that I'm in a good place at the moment."

The actor isn't overly concerned where in the world he works. "If the right project came up, I would work in America, or England," he states. "It doesn't matter where the location is – at the moment. I'm just up to work. If anything comes up and it's appropriate, I wouldn't hesitate."

The Lord of the Rings is sure to be a global phenomenon over the next few years, and Urban is just starting to realise the scope of what he's involved with. "I feel quite removed from the whole fan base," he admits. "Primarily it's in America and Europe. We're kind of sheltered in New Zealand, and I don't have a computer, so I don't surf the internet."

Nevertheless, Xena has given him an awareness of the interest fans can show in actors and their work. "I'm really chuffed that the show has touched people and that they really like it. It gives them a chance to get together, communicate and have some fun. All these people have such a passion about it."

Hercules and Xena demonstrated to American and European producers the benefits that could accrue from filming in New Zealand, and Urban feels that the experiences of those shows has helped to define the film industry in the southern hemisphere. "The aspect I most enjoyed about working on Xena was the camaraderie between the cast and crew," he says. "I think the legacy of Xena for the New Zealand film industry will be that it brought a new level of professionalism to all different areas – set makers, the camera people and the actors. That six year [sic] period was a great period of work, having such amazingly professional role models as Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor and Ted Raimi. We saw how they approached their craft, and how they treated everyone around them."

Work isn't everything for the actor – like his on-screen character, he's concerned that he doesn't miss "dreams and legends springing to life out of the grass. It's important to me that you not base your whole life on your vocation," he explains. "I think it's really important to try to expose yourself to as much variation and as many experiences as you can. By the time you retire, you don't want to be sitting at home twiddling your thumbs because all you've done your entire life is just work, or been interested in one thing."

Back to the Articles Page

Back to the Karl Urban Page

This is a fan site and is not affiliated with Dreamwatch or Karl Urban. I have no intention of infringing on the copyrights of anyone affiliated with Karl or the magazine. This is just my way of showing my appreciation for a talented actor!