SUNDAY STAR TIMES
August 3, 2003
Sunday Star Times
Reviewer: Kirsten MacFarlane
Title: GAMBLING MAN
Sunday Star Times
Reviewer: Kirsten MacFarlane
Title: GAMBLING MAN
After 25 years of playing bit parts, Bruce Hopkins is cashing in on
his success in the "Lord of the Rings".
On a deserted beach, the surf breaks in perfect sets. Bruce Hopkins is out the back, waiting patiently for his next ride when a black-clad surfer comes paddling over the swell and roars: "Hey, rider of the Rohan." This is what happens when you are a cult hero from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings - fans appear out of the blue to talk Tolkien.
"This guy just loved Tolkien - he'd been reared on all the books. We just sat on our boards out there and had a good rave."
Hopkins plays Gamling, one of the men of Rohan, and faithful sidekick to Bernard Hill's King Theoden, who utters the legendary line, "Gamling, this is not the end, we will ride again." Never a prominent figure in the book, Hopkins' on-screen presence so impressed the film-makers, they expanded the character beyond mere meaningful looks and one-liners to a significant role in The Two Towers and The Return of the King .
For Hopkins, 47, it's his big break. For years he's been "aaah, Bruce who?", the character actor whose face is familiar but you just can't place. Isn't that the bloke from the Carters ads? And surely that's Les, from Des and Les, the comedy guys?
As Gamling, he sports Led Zepplin locks, clanging armour and an unruly beard; as Larry in Kiwi high school reunion film Jubilee, he was a short haired, leather-bound biker. There was a string of supporting roles with forgettable names: Rhys in Savage Honeymoon, Andy in TV's Lawless, and cameos in Hercules, Shortland Street and Xena.
Now, after 25 years playing the sidekick, Hopkins is finally taking a lead. No longer lending an ear to good King Theoden, he's usurping the Scottish throne as Shakespeare's MacBeth. He still gets to wield a sword, but hopefully will not actually nick the ear of Macduff, as he did to fellow British actor Bernard Hill on the set of LOTR.
During a morning rehearsal at Brown St. Studios in Ponsonby, Auckland, Hopkins is padding up for Pandemonium's stage production of MacBeth. It is the climactic fight scene; he is brandishing a deadly looking sword and a beatific smile as he circles Macduff, played by The Strip's Michael Edward.
Director Margaret-Mary Hollings' version of Shakespeare's tragedy follows classic, if viceral, lines. In some MacBeth adaptations the fight scene takes place off stage, but in this production the noise
is deafening. Hopkins moves effortlessly; a legacy from his days as a professional contemporary dancer and many hours spent lugging heavy armour around film sets. When he was in Limbs and Black Grace, he used to make the girls swoon and wielding a 9kg sword, he still manages to impress (even if he does have a dodgy knee). There is no blood on the floor at fight's end - and thankfully Hopkins' head is still intact. The swords are the only casualties; they are virtually in two.
As a character actor with three teenage children, surviving on mostly local productions and corporate gigs isn't always easy. He had to borrow a suit for the LOTR Oscars bash, and the heater in his ageing car will remain unrepaired this winter. The periods between jobs can be "brutal".
Today, though, at his Auckland home, Hopkins is excited about "how great it would be to have a cup of tea and biscuits with Tolkien and Shakespeare". We retreat to the orderly kitchen and chat about the former. After the international success of LOTR, Hopkins wasn't going to let a golden opportunity slip by; he took to marketing himself-and his Gamling alter ego.
"It was one of cinema's greatest-ever gigs and I had a decent role. I didn't want to wait by the phone for a call -you have to go to them."
There was trip to the Onering.net party in L.A. staged after the Oscars and attended by all the "A-list" stars and fans in character dress; flash new business cards; two American fans designed his website(www.bruce-hopkins.com) and now he is doing the rounds of the conventions.
The action figures are not in store yet, but the live version of Gamling is a marketable commodity. Earlier this year, Hopkins accepted invitations to fan fairs in the UK and the Netherlands. Next month, he heads to Australia, and in November off to Germany's the Ring*Con.
After playing a whole string of character nobody quite appreciated, Hopkins is relieved the "dice are all falling into place". When filming wrapped on The Two Towers, Peter Jackson presented Hopkins with a clapperboard souvenir and gave a speech lauding his acting ability. The producers also presented a few select cast and crew with a limited edition book about the project. Inside Hopkins' copy, Fran Walsh wrote: "Thanks for creating a character we didn't know we needed."
"This guy just loved Tolkien - he'd been reared on all the books. We just sat on our boards out there and had a good rave."
Hopkins plays Gamling, one of the men of Rohan, and faithful sidekick to Bernard Hill's King Theoden, who utters the legendary line, "Gamling, this is not the end, we will ride again." Never a prominent figure in the book, Hopkins' on-screen presence so impressed the film-makers, they expanded the character beyond mere meaningful looks and one-liners to a significant role in The Two Towers and The Return of the King .
For Hopkins, 47, it's his big break. For years he's been "aaah, Bruce who?", the character actor whose face is familiar but you just can't place. Isn't that the bloke from the Carters ads? And surely that's Les, from Des and Les, the comedy guys?
As Gamling, he sports Led Zepplin locks, clanging armour and an unruly beard; as Larry in Kiwi high school reunion film Jubilee, he was a short haired, leather-bound biker. There was a string of supporting roles with forgettable names: Rhys in Savage Honeymoon, Andy in TV's Lawless, and cameos in Hercules, Shortland Street and Xena.
Now, after 25 years playing the sidekick, Hopkins is finally taking a lead. No longer lending an ear to good King Theoden, he's usurping the Scottish throne as Shakespeare's MacBeth. He still gets to wield a sword, but hopefully will not actually nick the ear of Macduff, as he did to fellow British actor Bernard Hill on the set of LOTR.
During a morning rehearsal at Brown St. Studios in Ponsonby, Auckland, Hopkins is padding up for Pandemonium's stage production of MacBeth. It is the climactic fight scene; he is brandishing a deadly looking sword and a beatific smile as he circles Macduff, played by The Strip's Michael Edward.
Director Margaret-Mary Hollings' version of Shakespeare's tragedy follows classic, if viceral, lines. In some MacBeth adaptations the fight scene takes place off stage, but in this production the noise
is deafening. Hopkins moves effortlessly; a legacy from his days as a professional contemporary dancer and many hours spent lugging heavy armour around film sets. When he was in Limbs and Black Grace, he used to make the girls swoon and wielding a 9kg sword, he still manages to impress (even if he does have a dodgy knee). There is no blood on the floor at fight's end - and thankfully Hopkins' head is still intact. The swords are the only casualties; they are virtually in two.
As a character actor with three teenage children, surviving on mostly local productions and corporate gigs isn't always easy. He had to borrow a suit for the LOTR Oscars bash, and the heater in his ageing car will remain unrepaired this winter. The periods between jobs can be "brutal".
Today, though, at his Auckland home, Hopkins is excited about "how great it would be to have a cup of tea and biscuits with Tolkien and Shakespeare". We retreat to the orderly kitchen and chat about the former. After the international success of LOTR, Hopkins wasn't going to let a golden opportunity slip by; he took to marketing himself-and his Gamling alter ego.
"It was one of cinema's greatest-ever gigs and I had a decent role. I didn't want to wait by the phone for a call -you have to go to them."
There was trip to the Onering.net party in L.A. staged after the Oscars and attended by all the "A-list" stars and fans in character dress; flash new business cards; two American fans designed his website(www.bruce-hopkins.com) and now he is doing the rounds of the conventions.
The action figures are not in store yet, but the live version of Gamling is a marketable commodity. Earlier this year, Hopkins accepted invitations to fan fairs in the UK and the Netherlands. Next month, he heads to Australia, and in November off to Germany's the Ring*Con.
After playing a whole string of character nobody quite appreciated, Hopkins is relieved the "dice are all falling into place". When filming wrapped on The Two Towers, Peter Jackson presented Hopkins with a clapperboard souvenir and gave a speech lauding his acting ability. The producers also presented a few select cast and crew with a limited edition book about the project. Inside Hopkins' copy, Fran Walsh wrote: "Thanks for creating a character we didn't know we needed."