from Premiere Magazine May 2003

The Hero Returns

[...] Bloom tells a story that occurred when the Rings crew returned to New Zealand in the summer of 2002 for sound dubbing and pickups for The Two Towers. “I flew over just to visit Viggo,” says Bloom, who had heard that Mortensen was organizing a reunion dinner. He, Mortensen and Henry, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler (who plays Arwen), and members of the crew took a bus to the countryside. After dinner, Bloom and Henry went for a walk and noticed how beautifully the moon was shining on a nearby river.

“We ran back and said, ‘Everyone’s got to see this.’ ” Bloom recalls. “I was having a Viggo moment—running out, getting people to come and check out the moon.”

Some decided to wade into the stream, but Mortensen suggested the more perilous task of crossing the river.

“I’m like, ‘Fuck off,’ and he says, ‘Come on.’ So we’re barefoot, waist-high in water, walking on these little rocks to get to the other side and I’m doing it because I’m an idiot and I’m following his lead. Because he’s an idiot. And because he’s amazing,” Bloom laughs. “I can’t believe how much this is going to make me sound like I’m in love with the guy.”