Mel Bass never thought she would be tall enough to be an elf.
But the 19-year-old, who grew up in Blenheim, has been given the nod from casting directors to be an extra in the Hobbit films which are already being shot around New Zealand.
Mel, a second-year student studying biomedical science in Wellington, got a message on her phone saying she had got the part as she flew into Blenheim this week for part of the university holidays.
"I'm really excited to be part of the production process."
At 168 centimetres tall, she did not think she was the right height for an elf who, in the JRR Tolkien series The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, are about 1.82 metres tall(six foot), slender and graceful.
She saw the unusual job posting on auction site Trade Me last week calling for female extras between 165 and 178cm and sent in photos of herself.
She was invited to a casting call with about 130 others in Wellington where more photos and measurements were taken.
"They asked if we had any special skills like extreme horseriding, but unfortunately I didn't."
She will have a costume fitting on Monday to prepare for a full day of filming on Friday in Miramar, where filming is based.
Her friend and flatmate Alice Burden, 19, and also from Blenheim, also applied for the paid role but did not make the cut.
However, she already has a claim to fame as a model on a hair salon billboard on Wellington's Lambton Quay.
Mel, also a Rugby World Cup volunteer, was not sure what to expect from filming day but hoped to meet some of the actors such as Stephen Fry and Liv Tyler and director Sir Peter Jackson, as well as the other extras.
She was not sure how long it would take to get ready for the part which would most likely include prosthetic pointed ears typical of the mystical elven race.
Mum Lynn Goodenough was proud of her daughter who she said she was embracing all opportunities while iving in Wellington.
"I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan anyway and hopefully we'll catch her in there [the Hobbit]."
The two Hobbit movies are the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy both written by author JRR Tolkien.
The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due to be released in 2012.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
Middle-Earth bound: Mel Bass has been cast as an elf extra in the Peter Jackson-directed film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
No comments:
Post a Comment