OTHER TECH

Are you a David Cronenberg fan? Yes, I do like his work - particularly his early stuff. I haven't seen A History of Violence yet.

When you watch a movie, do you just kick back and enjoy it, or do you study what the actors are doing? I just kick back and enjoy. Even when I watch something I've done, I tend to look at the entire film and let it wash over me because I'm much more interested in how the movie turned out than my performance specifically. I don't get too anal about watching a performance. It's certainly something I appreciate, but I don't overly analyze it.

Is there any actor whose work you've collected on DVD? No. If anything, I collect DVDs of a filmmaker - not that I'm not as interested in performance or actors, but I tend to be more fascinated by specific directors.

You were a child star, so how come you haven't become a debauched tabloid headline? [laughs] I started really young, so I saw the negative side of the business from the perspective of someone who's too young to get involved with it. And by the time I was old enough, it didn't really interest me. Also, I have an amazing mother and a really solid family base, so I had a strong sense of myself and of reality. I guess that's why I was able to get through all that unscathed.

Were you drawn to the soccer hooligans in Greenstreet Hooligans because you didn't experience anything crazy like that? No, no. [laughs] Hooligans was interesting to be involved in just because of the subject matter. It did give me the opportunity to play a character that was unlike anything I'd played before.

Liev Schreiber directed you in Everything Is Illuminated, and you're going to be in Emilio Estevez's Bobby. Do you like being directed by a fellow actor? Everything Is Illuminated was actually the second time - I also acted in Ash Wednesday with Ed Burns directing. There's something really nice about working with an actor, because it's someone you can relate to. There's a comfort level in your performance because it's being guided by someone who knows the craft. Working with Liev was fascinating because watching a peer directing for the first time gave me great insight into an experience I've never had.

But you have had some experience as an assistant director on The Long and Short of It - the short film actor Sean Astin made while you were doing The Lord of the Rings. Oh, yes - I was director/co-producer [laughs].

Do you have ambitions to direct a film yourself? It's something I'd like to do. I love the whole process of filmmaking. In some ways, I've been going to film school for the last 16 years, and I've had the pleasure of working with so many incredible filmmakers. All of them have been so different, so I feel like I've learned a lot. I imagine the process of getting to the point of making a film will be relatively organic. I'm not looking for a piece to direct right now, but I think that when it's right, it will happen.

Do you prefer smaller independent movies like Illuminated and Hooligans? If the story and the role are incredible, it's irrelevant whether it's a large-budget movie or not. But there's something really gratifying about working on a small film. Everyone's involved because they're passionate about the project. It certainly doesn't allow any room for anything but passion because there's no money or time. So a wonderful unification happens, creating a group that works very closely together to make the film. I like being a part of that tight-knit infrastructure. Ultimately, if the film ends up being what you want it to be, it's that much more gratifying because you know what it took to get there.

Do you stay in touch with Peter Jackson and your fellow Hobbits? Absolutely. Those are ties that cannot be cut. At this point, it transcends friendship. We're all kind of family. So even though we're not talking to each other all the time, a couple of months can go by and when you see the person, it's like no time has passed. Four or five months ago, I flew out to New Zealand and spent like a week in Wellington, visiting with everyone and seeing Peter, and it was nice.

Do you prefer to see movies in theaters or to watch them at home? Ultimately, I prefer the movie-theater experience. I love the ritual of going to a movie, and all that entails: getting your popcorn and drink, sitting down, watching the trailer. It's an important experience, and there's an audience there reacting with you. You don't get that at home. There are benefits to the privacy of home, too - people can't distract you, and you can make sure the picture is perfect. It's looking like sooner, rather than later, we'll be able to get first-run movies at home at the same time as at the theater. I just hope that there'll be a special place in people's hearts for the movie-theater experience, because it would be a shame to see it die out.