Advertisement

Lee Pace: The movie star you hardly recognize

Lee Pace at the premiere of 'The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies' (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Lee Pace at the premiere of 'The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies' (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Although you’ve almost certainly seen actor Lee Pace on the big screen many times in recent years, you might have a hard time recognizing him without his elf ears or alien warpaint.

Believe it or not, Pace has had starring roles in some of the biggest movies of the past year or so – it’s just difficult to tell because he’s been hidden away under heavy make-up and prosthetics. He played King Thranduil in the first two “Hobbit” movies and reprises the Elven role in the forthcoming sequel “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” Pace also battled the titular “Guardians of the Galaxy” this past summer as Kree warlord Ronan the Accuser.

Warner Bros., Marvel
Warner Bros., Marvel

Yup, that's the same guy!

“I’ve loved this experience of playing characters that are so far from myself,” Pace said while promoting “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” in Toronto earlier this month. “These characters are fun to play!”

Pace’s “Guardians” and “Hobbit” characters may have been fun for the actor, but neither is exactly what you’d call a barrel of laughs on screen. His "Hobbit" role is an immortal elf with major trust issues. Many thousands of years old, Thranduil – father to series mainstay Legolas (Orlando Bloom) – is wary of what will become of the Lonely Mountain, should the dwarves questing after it be able to retake it from the dragon Smaug.

“He’s such a cold character... He’s such a severe character,” Pace admitted. “It rings true to me that that severity comes from heartbreak.”

The 35-year-old actor explained that he worked closely with "Hobbit" director Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens to develop a backstory for the ancient elf, one that involved the death of Legolas’ unnamed mother millennia ago.

“The elves feel things in a very deep way,” the actor said. “They’re not human – they’re very far from human. Those emotions, that love, is profound.”

Pace with his Hobbit co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Orlando Bloom. (Getty Images)
Pace with his Hobbit co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Orlando Bloom. (Getty Images)

That strong emotional bond can be seen on-screen between Thranduil and Legolas in “Five Armies,” a father-son relationship that was slightly complicated by the fact that Pace is actually two years younger than Orlando Bloom in real life.

“We’re both thousands of years old, what’s a couple of years?” Pace joked.

The actor spoke highly of the collaborative atmosphere on set and of “Hobbit” director Jackson, calling the filmmaker one of the most inspiring people he’s ever worked with.

“[Peter’s] such a fan that the process on set it just becomes, ‘I want to do something Pete likes! I just want to do something that Pete thinks is cool!’” Pace said. “We had such a good time making the movie.”

When Pace is not battling orcs in Middle-earth or space pirates in a galaxy not so far away, he can usually be found on the small screen. His breakout role came courtesy of the short-lived but much beloved ABC series “Pushing Daisies,” and he can currently be seen as the ruthless Joe MacMillan on AMC’s 1980s tech drama “Halt and Catch Fire.”

When asked about the rumours that he might be making an appearance on “Pushing Daisies” showrunner Bryan Fuller’s latest project “Hannibal,” Pace didn't commit, but seemed hopeful.

“I’m down in Atlanta right now doing ‘Halt’ and Bryan is shooting up here [in Toronto],” Pace said with a grin. “I’d love to, but I just don’t know.”