Jackson's Family Cameo at Helm's Deep
Peter Jackson pops up briefly during the Helm's Deep battle in chainmail, throwing a spear. His own kids, Billy and Katie, also show up as refugee children hiding in the caves.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Knowledge
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Christopher Lee's Lifelong Devotion
Christopher Lee had been reading Tolkien's trilogy once a year since it was first published in 1954, right up until he died in 2015. He's also the only cast member who actually met Tolkien, having crossed paths with him in an Oxford pub years earlier.
Family Faces Hidden in Helm's Deep
Keep an eye out during the Helm's Deep refugee scenes and you'll spot Elijah Wood's real-life sister Hannah among the crowd. Viggo Mortensen's son also has a small appearance in the film.
The Sword Boy Needed Dubbing
The young boy who hands Aragorn his sword before Helm's Deep is actually screenwriter Philippa Boyens' son. By the time they came back to shoot pickups, his voice had already broken, so his lines had to be redubbed.
Andy Serkis Almost Just Did Voiceover
Serkis was originally booked for a three-week job just recording Gollum's voice. He ended up acting out the whole part in his audition, impressed Jackson enough to land the full motion-capture role, and forced Weta to redo two years of animation work in about ten weeks.
Gollum's Eyes Give Him Away
There's a subtle detail in Gollum's design: his pupils actually change shape depending on which personality is talking. Smeagol gets wide, innocent-looking eyes, while Gollum's pupils shrink down to something meaner.
Viggo Mortensen Bought His Horse
Mortensen got so attached to Brego, the horse he rode as Aragorn, that he bought him from the production once filming wrapped, and picked up a second horse so Brego wouldn't be lonely.
A Real Broken Toe on Camera
The scene where Aragorn furiously kicks an Orc helmet is famous because Viggo Mortensen actually broke two toes doing it, on the first take. Jackson liked the reaction so much it stayed in the final cut.
A Chipped Tooth and a Dentist Trip
During the Helm's Deep shoot, Mortensen broke a tooth and asked if there was any superglue lying around so he could just stick it back on and keep filming. Producer Barrie M. Osborne wasn't having it and sent him to an actual dentist instead.
Trapped Underwater Filming the Rapids
Filming Aragorn being swept down the river after the Warg attack, Mortensen got pulled under the water and was genuinely stuck there for close to a minute before the crew managed to haul him out.