One day on the set of 'Try Seventeen' I understand Blondie visited.
EW: This is true.
And what exactly did Blondie do, Franka, there with your friend Elijah Wood?
FP: She fucking kissed him. And I wasn't there you know.
(Voice in background): That bitch! [Franka then Laughs]
Elijah what was it like making out with Blondie? That's incredible! Like how old are you Elijah again?
EW: Uh...35? 21.
And how old is Blondie?
EW: I'm not really-
57
EW: Is she??
Like you have a wet dream fantasy scene with Blondie, that's incredible Elijah!
EW: It was very surreal, it was great.
And 'Try Seventeen' is about?
EW: 'Try Seventeen' is...oh my God it's sort of a coming of age story about this kid named Jones, who moves to a house which is basically sublet into various apartments, and the story is basically about the relationship he has with the tenants of this, of this house, umm and what that does to his life and how that changes his life, and you know the journey that that takes him on, basically.
Where does the 'wet dream' sequence fit into everything? There's a lot of jizzing and wet dreaming going on, isn't there Elijah?
EW: Well there, there certainly is with Blondie. Um she plays a character named 'Mom' that is very voluptuous and very forward that Jones dreams about yeah.
And you are the guy that dreams about her?
EW: Yes I am.
And you actually got to make out with her as well?
EW: Yes I did. Yeah. [geeky giggle]
Continuing on here Elijah Wood, I was curious, and again we're backstage here with Elijah Wood, backstage at the Section Three in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at the wrap party for 'Try-
EW: Seventeen'
With 'Lord of the Rings' you all got group tattoos, didn't you?
EW: We did, yeah.
You can't show me your group tattoo from 'Lord of the Rings' cause it's in an awkward place, right Prince Albert?
EW: It is. It's in a, it's in a, lower region. But we, yeah we all got tattoos. It's elvish for 9. It means the 9 members of the fellowship.
So will everybody for 'Try Seventeen' be getting tattoos at all there, Elijah Wood?
EW: [Laughs] I don't think so! Maybe down the road.
Tell me about Paula Abdul.
EW: That was the first job I ever had, was a Paula Abdul video for 'Forever Your Girl'.
And what did you do?
EW: I played an executive at a table, and I broke a pencil because I was angry and depressed that I'd uh ended a relationship.
And how old were you?
EW: Eight. And David Fincher directed the video.
Winding up here, with Elijah Wood, tell me this, working with Dan Quayle-
EW: Yes! In the Wavy Lays commercial!
Potato chips.
EW: Yes that's right. For the Super Bowl commercial. That was good fun.
Super Bowl?
EW: It was a Super Bowl commercial, yeah. He was a good sport. Cause it was the whole potato joke, because he had misspelled potato and put and 'e' on it in a classroom, so it was a way to poke fun at him and he dealt with it very well. He was a good guy.
Elijah Wood, I know you're kind of bored of the Rings, bored of the Rings, but can I ask you something about 'Lord of the Rings'?
EW: Sure.
Have there been any games associated with 'Lord of the Rings'? Like drinking games, I've heard that like there's some drinking games, like every time like a hobbit cries, there's a drinking game.
EW: Is there?
Yeah, have you learned about this sort of thing?
EW: No I'm sure there's a... there's a whole subculture of 'Lord of the Rings' that I don't know about.
Now Franka Potente, you're also in the movie 'Try Seventeen' are you not?
FP: No. [Laughs]
Yes you are, please don't try to get out of it that way. Now what was it like working in 'Blow' with Pee-Wee Herman and Anastasia Blue?
FP: Anastasia who?
Anastasia Blue, the porn star. You worked with, like, Pee-Wee Herman and a porn star, Anastasia Blue, the ex-porn star in 'Blow'.
FP: [Laughs] Who did she play?
I'm not sure but she was in there!
FP: [Laughs] Well I didn't meet her, but Pee-Wee was cool.
How much running did you do for 'Run Lola Run'? Did you prepare a lot, did you run a lot?
FP: No.
No training?
FP: No. I smoke too much. [Laughs]
I mean, right now you've got a movie coming up with Matt Damon?
FP: Yeah, 'The Bourne Identity.'
Now what's this about the sex scenes, the sex scenes being edited out of the movie? How dare they!
FP: You and your papers! There's actually, you know what, I don't know, there's no sex scene though. There's a kissing scene-
I heard it was edited out! I wanted to see you have sex with Matt Damon!
FP: I want to see that too! But we never shot it! [Laughs]
Oh damn!
EW: I-I-I have no comment on that. I don't particularly want to see that, so-
Elijah Wood, 'Try Seventeen' is the movie you're pumping now, however, the movie 'Lord of the Rings' still rings strong with a lot of people. Some Tolkien fans have said, "I've stopped trying to figure out Elijah Wood. He simply is 'too weird.'"
EW: I take that as a compliment. I like being too weird.
What is your relationship with those super-dooper Tolkien fans? What is your relationship with those people?
EW: Um...there's really no relationship, but uh... [Laughs] no, I... look, I think we made a movie that was for the fans, and any of their kind of appreciation for the film and the books, I totally respect and love, so-
At the Oscar's this year, were you there Franka?
FP: I was watching Elijah on the TV in LA.
And I was watching you on the TV as well. Now what's the deal with Ian McKellan holding his boyfriend's hand and you looking away?
FP: [to Elijah] Did you look away?
EW: I looked away?
There was a shot of you Elijah, you were looking away from Ian McKellan when he was holding his boyfriend's hand. And I guess I was just curious of what was going though your mind at that time.
EW: I think what was going through my mind was 'Oh my God there's another two hours of this.'
Did you notice Jello Biafra at the Oscar's?
EW: Was he there?
He was played in a little clip beforehand, one of those little vignettes. Jello Biafra was at the Oscar's.
EW: Oh, he was in those, those things talking about movies and stuff.
Isn't that incredible? Jello Biafra was there.
EW: Oh God bless Jello.
He's in your record collection too, isn't he?
EW: Uh, I don't actually have any Dead Kennedys in my record collection, which is terrible.
We saw Fugazi tonight, I saw Fugazi's CD tonight.
EW: I do have some Fugazi.
And are there many other punkers in Hollywood? I asked this before, but I mean you know Jello at the Oscar's, I mean have you bumped into Rollins or any of the other punkers or anything like that?
EW: I haven't. But you know, do you know who David Cross is? Do you ever watch M-
The show, yeah, Mr. Show, yeah.
EW: Yeah, have you ever interviewed David Cross?
No I have not.
EW: Good guy, you should try and interview him if he comes to Vancouver. But David Cross is a big, kind of punk fan.
'The Goonies'. Sean Astin-
EW: I know where you're going with this?
'The Goonies'!
EW: [Laughs] Incredible! Sean Astin! Awesome. One of my all time favorite movies.
And that means you're connected to 'ET' and 'Star Wars.'
EW: [Laughs] Yes I am I guess.
So there's a connection between Elijah Wood, 'ET' and 'Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings'. I mean you've got it all!
EW: That's pretty cool. I can quit my job now.
And in the movie 'Lord of the Rings' is there a scene where you can like be seen in your brown shoes?
EW: I never wore shoes.
I thought there was like a scene where you were wearing shoes, like if you look really closely and you can see brown shoes.
EW: It may have been... scale doubles. Cause we had people that were really small-
What they were paid scale to be your double?
EW: No, just really small people that were of scale for the hobbits.
How could they be, I mean, no offense Elijah, but how could they be smaller than you? Cause you're pretty small.
EW: I am pretty small Nardwuar-
Would they have-
EW: [sulky voice] Thank you for mentioning that.
I didn't mean to. I mean, uh, sorry you're big. Yeah, I mean, uh, I'm uh well actually I-
EW: I've accepted it, it's fine Nardwuar.
I'm 7 foot 5, so you're 6'1". Yes.
EW: Exactly.
Elijah Wood, winding up here, you're in Vancouver shooting 'Try Seventeen.' You've done a lot of movies, it's incredible, I just am so honored to speak to you! You were in 'Internal Affairs'-
EW: This is true.
With Richard Gere. Now I know that movie because Richard Gere had anal sex in that movie!
EW: [shocked] He did??
Yes he did.
EW: I don't remember that.
There was a scene of him coming from behind!
EW: Wow! I had no idea!
Now you also were in 'Black and White' with Robert Downey-
EW: Junior.
And you were in 'Paradise' with Don Johnson!
EW: [chuckles] Yeah.
Now what do you remember about Don Johnson and Robert Downey Jr.?
EW: Uhh... Robert Downey Jr. is a brilliant, uh-
Like the first thing that pops into your head about that movie, there must be some little scene-
EW: Yeah! Well there was a scene that was cut out of 'Black and White' where Robert Downey Jr. was actually masturbating to Michael Tyson.
You were also in 'The Good-
EW: Son.'
With Macaulay-
EW: Culkin
Now, 'The Good Son', that's a weird title isn't it, because Macaulay Culkin wasn't the son and he wasn't good, he was the nephew. What's going on there, why was it called 'The Good Son'?
EW: Uh... because he was the son of his mother, and he uh, maybe it was 'The Good Son' because I'm the good son? I don't know.
Did you go to his wedding, Macaulay Culkin's wedding?
EW: [stifling a laugh] No, no.
Have you been hanging out with him?
EW: No, I haven't seen him in years.
Are you jealous though Elijah Wood cause Macaulay Culkin got to be in a 'Sonic Youth' video-
EW: Yes, that is pretty damn cool. Off of, uh, which album?
Sunday.
EW: Yes! And that was from the... what, how, what record was that? That was their last record. No, it was not their last record, never mind, never mind. I'm sorry.
And all you got to be in was like a Cranberries and Paula Abdul video?
EW: [sulky voice] That's true.
So he's kind of beat you there, but you're gonna change everything because aren't you going to start your own record company?
EW: I hope so, yeah I'd love to. I love music, so maybe eventually.
And well thank you very much, Elijah Wood. Anything else you'd like to add to the people out there at all?
EW: Uhhh... I love BC Canada. I do.
For the record stores.
EW: Just for the people. And it's beautiful. And Vancouver's a wonderful place, I've been here quite a lot, so I love Vancouver.
Well thanks so much Elijah Wood. Why should people care about Elijah Wood? Why should people care?
EW: Ohhh Nardwuar, such a self-serving answer that's gonna be. Ummm... I don't know.
Because you know the Prime Minister of Canada.
EW: Do I?
Yes you do.
EW: I do?
His name is-
EW: I don't know.
Jean-
EW: Pierre?
Jean Chrétien.
EW: Oh okay.
Jean Chrétien. Actually I asked that to Dan Quayle and he didn't know who the Prime Minister of Canada was either. Must have been like the curse of the Lays commercial you were in with Dan Quayle.
EW: Well people should like me because I know Nardwuar now.
Well thanks very much, anything else you'd like to add to the people out there Elijah?
EW: Nothing else.
'Try Seventeen'!
EW: 'Try Seventeen.'
Please try it.
EW: Please?
Keep on rocking the free world. And doot doola doot doo...
EW: Doot doo.
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FP: Ohhhh I don't know, he didn't even cook, he didn't change... I don't know, he was a nice guy.