Hollywood legend Elijah Wood has opened up about the gory details of his new horror-comedy sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and shared his deep, lingering affection for the streets of Dublin.
From his childhood acting days to stepping into the chaotic, blood-soaked world of a massive horror franchise, the interview (which can be watched in full below) offered a brilliant glimpse into Elijah's memories of Ireland and what fans can expect from his mysterious new cinematic role.
Irish fans have plenty to be excited about, as Elijah confirmed to our Man at The Movies, Clint Drieberg, that he will be returning to Dublin this year for ComicCon Ireland. It marks his first time visiting the Republic of Ireland in well over a decade.
When Clint asked about his favourite local spots and where fans might find him grabbing a pint, Elijah took a fantastic trip down memory lane.
"I remember when I was a kid, I made a TV adaptation of Oliver Twist and we shot it in Dublin, and I remember going to Bewley's and sort of loving Bewley's," he recalled.
He also gave a special shoutout to one of the most famous pubs in the Dublin mountains: "I went up to Johnnie Fox's. I remember the pub up on the hill. It's quite beautiful."
While it's been a while since he frequented the local haunts, he told Clint he is more than ready to explore when he touches down. "I think I would be up for discovering new spots," he added. (We reckon there will definitely be a pint waiting for him at Johnnie Fox's!)
The conversation then shifted from Irish pubs to the bloody estate of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Stepping into the madness, Elijah explained to Clint that he plays a highly mysterious, unnamed legal counsel.
"Well, not just any lawyer. I mean, I do represent the devil himself," he teased. His function in the film is to explain the rules of a brand-new game to Samara Weaving's Grace, who barely survived the horrific events of the first movie.
As for whether he'd personally survive a real-life game with this demonic council? "I would certainly hope that I wasn't a part of a family who has made a deal with the devil and is like stumbling over themselves for power. So, I'd prefer to be on the side of the lawyer in this case."
If the 2019 hit Ready or Not left audiences breathless, the sequel promises to waste absolutely no time getting back to the action.
"This movie takes place literally seconds after the first movie ends. It's like an almost overlap," Elijah revealed.
The scope of the deadly game of hide-and-seek is also expanding massively. Elijah noted that the Le Domas family from the first film was actually "part of a much larger group of people or group of families associated with this sort of council that all have made deals with the devil, and that one of those families has the sort of high seat which allows them to control literally the world."
You simply can't have a Ready or Not movie without a ridiculous amount of gore. However, while the first film relied on crew members tossing blood into the frame or using exploding bags, Elijah told Our Man at The Movies that the sequel brought in some heavy technological artillery.
"For this movie, they developed a blood cannon that they didn't have for the first film," Elijah laughed, noting it was a much more efficient system for the crew.
Luckily for him, his character's intelligence keeps his wardrobe perfectly clean. While the rest of the cast gets completely doused in fake blood, he got to watch the carnage safely from the sidelines. "The lawyer keeps finding ways to hide himself," he joked. "He knows what's going to happen. So, he's always out of harm's way."
Of course, stepping into massive franchises and chaotic worlds is nothing new for the 45 year old actor. Since breaking out as a child star in films like Back to the Future Part II and The Good Son, Elijah became a global icon as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s monumental The Lord of the Rings trilogy, earning him worldwide fame and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Rather than resting on those laurels, he carved out an incredibly eclectic, critically acclaimed career, starring in everything from Sin City and Happy Feet to cult-hit TV shows like Wilfred and, more recently, Showtime’s massive thriller Yellowjackets.
Beyond his acting, he's also a powerhouse behind the camera, championing the horror genre by producing acclaimed indie thrillers through his company, SpectreVision. And he certainly isn't slowing down. Alongside Ready or Not 2, fans can catch him playing a villain in the highly anticipated reboot of The Toxic Avenger opposite Peter Dinklage, and he is heavily rumoured to be packing his bags for Middle-earth once again for Andy Serkis's upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in 2027.
Elijah's talents don't stop at the silver screen. As Nova.ie recently reported, he is also gearing up to DJ a completely sold-out, "full-blown Lord of the Rings rave experience" this May! Performing under his DJ duo moniker, Wooden Wisdom (and definitely not 'DJ Frodo', a hilarious rumour he's had to debunk over the years), he'll be spinning genre-defying vinyl sets full of 70s and 80s disco for fans donning cloaks and elvish ears.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is out now ★★★★
