The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [2013] (2 discs)

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• Martin Freeman and the Elvish actors all play characters who cannot grow facial hair. The actors, however, not only grew facial hair, but had a complete five o'clock shadow by the end of a day's filming, even if they were clean-shaved at the beginning of the day. This shadow appears blue on film. Rather than shave repeatedly during the day, the actors had orange make-up applied, which canceled out the blue shadow.
• The only time Legolas blinks is when he realizes he has been wounded. This is in keeping with the character, as the only time Legolas blinks in the [Lord of the Rings] trilogy is when he is strongly surprised.
• Originally Doug Jones was meant to play King Thranduil, but Peter Jackson cast Lee Pace, of whom he was a big admirer since watching Pace's film The Fall.
• Evangeline Lilly's character, Silvan elf Tauriel, was created for the films. Tauriel is a name that in Sindarin language means "Daughter of the Forest". The budding romance between Kili and Tauriel was not a part of the original footage shot in 2011-2012; it was added to "beef up" the second film during re-shoots in 2013.
• Eva Green auditioned for the part of Tauriel in 2010, losing the role to Evangeline Lilly. Green's audition took place right after Benedict Cumberbatch's, who successfully obtained the role of Smaug.
• Luke Evans (Bard the Bowman)'s performance was dedicated to '^[?] Paul Walker', who he co-stared with in Fast & Furious 6 and who died a few days before the film's release.
• Benedict Cumberbatch studied iguanas and Komodo dragons at the London Zoo's Reptilian House to prepare for the voice of Smaug, aiming for a tone that would "bridge between animal and human, a deep and rasping guttural dryness to the voice."
• Orlando Bloom is two years older than Lee Pace who plays his father, King Thranduil.
• Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel) once dated her [Lost] co-star Dominic Monaghan, who played Meriadoc Brandybuck in the [Lord of the Rings] series.
• When Guillermo del Toro was going to film the series, he had Ron Perlman in mind to voice Smaug.
• ^[?] Nathaniel Lees was originally cast as the Necromancer.
• The Arkenstone in this film is presented as a symbol of Dwarf kingship. In the novel, it was just a family heirloom.
• In the book The Hobbit the whole chapter where the dwarves were captured by the Spiders was changed quite a bit. To lure away the spiders Bilbo sings a song. Once away from the spiders also how they encounter the Elves was changed. Both Bilbo and the dwarves chase firelight into open spaces to get to the elves, but the fire was snuffed out. This happens three times before getting captured and held in the Elven Dungeons.
• Stephen Colbert cameo: as the eyepatch-wearing Lakewood Spy who knocks on the door with the walking stick. Colbert, a longtime Tolkien fan and expert, had brought his wife and two of his sons to the shoot. When his scene was completed, Peter Jackson personally presented Colbert with a replica of the sword Sting.
• Orlando Bloom performed all his own stunts.
• Bombur doesn't speak for the entire movie.
• Benedict Cumberbatch suggested to read the Necromancer's Black Speech backwards to make it sound diabolic and unholy.