*Chapter 215: Visitors from the Atlantic*

Besides practicing swordsmanship and horseback riding, Richard also had to learn Elvish, as per the request of director Peter Jackson. Aragorn, the character he was portraying, spent his childhood in the Elven realm of Rivendell, and the script contained many dialogues in Elvish.

Elvish is a language invented by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings. It comes in several forms, including Quenya and Sindarin, and is the common language of the Elves in Middle-earth and Valinor.

This language is quite challenging, and Richard could only learn it bit by bit through the audio tapes provided by the film crew. After several days, he still hadn't made much progress.

However, since dialogue can be re-dubbed in post-production, there was no rush to fully master it yet.

While practicing swordsmanship, horseback riding, and Elvish, Richard also read through The Lord of the Rings twice.

He had skimmed through it once during high school, then read it again before his audition in March. However, the language of the book is quite ornate, and the story’s background and structure are vast and majestic, so each reading offered a different experience.

While reading, he took notes and compiled a detailed account of Aragorn's character development.

From being an orphaned child, living in the Elven realm, falling in love with the Elven princess Arwen, to self-imposed exile as a ranger, all in the name of love.

When Middle-earth was on the brink of being overrun by Sauron and the Orcs, he took up the sword and fought bravely against the Orcs' invasion, from the Fellowship of the Ring to the battles of Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith, and finally to his ascension to the throne.

After reading the book twice and writing a character biography of over ten thousand words, Richard gained a deeper understanding of Aragorn, and the pressure he felt also grew.

He used to think Aragorn was just a supporting character, and that playing him wouldn't be too difficult. But after writing the biography, he realized that Aragorn was the true protagonist of the novel.

An orphaned prince in self-imposed exile, a brave ranger, a lonely man, who in the course of war, became a member of the Fellowship, a general, a king, and also found love. He is compassionate, courageous, and responsible—a very charismatic person.

Compared to other characters like Gandalf, Frodo, or the Hobbits, Aragorn undergoes the most significant transformation, and his role is substantial.

Realizing all this, he was a bit surprised that director Peter Jackson had entrusted such an important role to him—it was a bold move.

To portray Aragorn well, Richard became more invested in studying the character, even hiring two renowned drama teachers on Broadway to guide him in acting and dialogue delivery.

There were several scenes in the film where Aragorn gives public speeches. Although Richard could deliver speeches, he needed more professional guidance in terms of expression and language.

"Gondor, Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. Perhaps one day, the courage of men will fail—"

"Stop!"

Stage play instructor William Wordsworth interrupted, "Richard, your emotions are too flat. Pay attention to the marks I made. The pauses, the rise and fall of your tone, all these will affect the impact of your speech."

"Additionally, when giving a speech, you need to fully immerse yourself in the character. Imagine yourself as a compassionate general, standing before thousands of soldiers, facing countless enemies. Only then will your speech be truly inspiring and impactful."

"Alright, I'll try again!"

Richard closed his eyes and reflected for a moment, imagining the scenes from the novel. Using the unique artistic tone of stage plays, he continued to deliver the speech, repeating it over and over until his voice became hoarse.

After more than six days of practice, William Wordsworth finally gave his approval for the five short speech lines.

William graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the UK and has been involved in drama for over thirty years. He has portrayed over twenty kings and performed in hundreds of operas and plays, with profound achievements in the field of drama.

Under his guidance, Richard made significant progress in stage acting, artistry, and dialogue delivery.

"Gondor, Rohan! My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.

Perhaps one day, the courage of men will fail, we will forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!

Perhaps one day, wolves will breach the walls of our cities, and humanity will be extinguished, but it is not this day!

Today, we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

Standing on stage, Richard waved his fist passionately. Starting with a low tone, his voice gradually rose in intensity, his face flushed with emotion. It was the kind of feeling that made the blood boil.

Applause

The two acting teachers and a few theater actors in the audience applauded.

"Richard, you've made great progress. For the audience, this will be a powerful and moving speech. But for us professional actors, there's still a flaw in your performance—the emotions are not fully developed, which affects the overall impact."

"If you think performing at 90% is good enough, then you can ignore my advice. But if you aim for 100% perfection, you need to keep practicing. When your speech can move people to tears, then you will have succeeded," said William Wordsworth.

Richard nodded, recalling the time when William had given a demonstration.

Before the speech, William had played a military documentary, followed by a passionate speech. Richard felt his blood surge, his heart race, and even a strong urge to cry. Compared to William's performance, his own speech indeed lacked a certain depth.

Recognizing his shortcomings, Richard continued to practice diligently.

---

On July 14th, X-Men was released. Richard participated in two promotional events with the film crew and attended the premiere in New York.

The box office performance was excellent, as there were no other major films released at the same time. X-Men grossed $54.47 million in its first week, making it the week's box office champion.

Richard also gained some popularity due to his role as Cyclops, although it wasn't as significant as the benefits he received from his first action film, Pitch Black.

After the release of X-Men, Richard stayed in New York for a few more days. Then, the Lord of the Rings crew called, asking him to come over to prepare for filming. Before leaving, Andy introduced him to a new assistant.

The assistant's name was Anna Basola, 28 years old, from the Bronx, New York. She was of Mexican-Argentinian descent, with brown skin, a moderately attractive appearance, and a good figure. She had one child, was skilled at taking care of people, could cook, drive, and knew a bit of boxing.

Richard had a conversation with her and felt she was a good fit—gentle in temperament, steady in her demeanor, and more professional than Paul.

"Richard, now that you have Anna, you're not going to fire me, are you?" Mike asked pitifully, glancing at Anna, who was signing a contract with Bob Lewitt nearby.

Richard set down his teacup and smiled, "Didn't you say before that you wanted to become an agent with Anthony? Hiring Anna is also to lighten your workload."

"But I haven't fully decided to be an agent yet," Mike replied with a shrug.

"Take your time deciding. For now, you can share my assistant duties with Anna. I have so much going on that two assistants aren't too many."

Richard preferred to handle things himself whenever possible, avoiding troubling others. So, compared to those big stars with three or four assistants, he was quite frugal.

"Alright, that's fine. This way, I can work with Anna on the handover. By next year, I'll fully transition to being an agent," Mike said, as if he had made up his mind.

"Sounds good!" Richard replied.Richard smiled slightly. Since their last conversation, Mike had been preparing to switch careers and become an agent.

However, being accustomed to assistant work and being somewhat lazy, he hadn’t fully made up his mind. Now that Anna Bassola had arrived, it pushed him in that direction.

Once both assistants were in place, Richard began packing his luggage, preparing to go to New Zealand for filming.

"How long will you be gone this time?" Giselle asked while holding him.

"Not too long. There's another competition in September."

"Two months? That's too long."

"Not necessarily. My role in the first film isn’t that big, and I’ll have a few days off each month. I’ll come back when I can. You can also come to New Zealand for a vacation if you have time. Don’t you like The Lord of the Rings? I can help you get a small role. How about playing an elf?" Richard said, smiling as he touched her ear.

"Alright. Come back when you're not busy. If I'm free, I'll come to find you. But won’t I disturb your on-set flirtations if I do?" Giselle said with a wink.

"What flirtations? Am I that promiscuous?" Richard replied, dissatisfied.

"Haha, that's what Angela said. She said that many actors develop feelings on set, especially in a closed environment like that, and that I should be on guard."

"Hmph, you should listen to Angela less in the future. She just can't stand seeing us happy. I said I’d teach her a lesson last time, but never got the chance. Next time I’m back, I’ll make sure to give her a good talking to."

Richard waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah, why are you punishing her for something I did?" Giselle said, rubbing her bottom and playfully slapping his chest.

"I should teach you a lesson too, so you don't get any wild ideas while I'm gone. Alright, it's time to sleep. We’ll keep working overtime tonight." Richard said, holding her.

"No, I have a runway show tomorrow. You’re always too much, it affects my performance."

"Haha, do you think you can escape from my arms?!" Richard laughed heartily, scooped up Giselle, and kicked the door shut.

The next day, he walked into Kennedy International Airport, holding his waist.

"Haha, Richard, you should take it easy. Don’t forget you’re a super boxing champion. If someone challenges you now, could you still compete?" Mike joked.

"Of course, my energy is beyond your imagination."

Richard shook his head and looked at the new assistant, Anna. "Anna, we might be away for a long time this time. Who's taking care of your little princess?"

"My mother. I have to work, so she usually takes care of her," Anna replied with a gentle smile.

"Ah, raising a child isn’t easy. It’s not easy for the little one without her mom around either. Come to New Zealand first to arrange work, and once the filming officially starts, there’ll be less to do. You can go home to take care of her then. With Mike here, it’ll be fine," Richard said after some thought.

"It’s okay. Annie is four now and goes to kindergarten. She doesn’t need my care."

"It’s not the same. A child who can see her mom every day is different from one who can’t. Four and five-year-olds need companionship. So, it’s settled. Your salary and bonuses won’t be reduced, and I’ll cover the travel expenses," Richard waved his hand and walked up the boarding ramp.

Anna hesitated for a moment and frowned slightly.

"Don’t overthink it. Richard lacks parental love, so he can’t stand to see children suffer. He likes to spend time with kids when he can. Over the years, he’s secretly donated about five or six million to children's welfare organizations," Mike said with a slight smile. "He’s a good person. You’ll understand what he’s like once you’ve been with him for a while."

Anna nodded slightly, gaining a deeper understanding of her new employer.

—

Once on the plane and in business class, Richard asked for a blanket and immediately fell asleep. He hadn’t slept well the night before and had gotten up early that morning, so he desperately needed a nap.

It takes about seventeen to eighteen hours to fly from New York to Wellington, New Zealand. The next day, the plane landed at Wellington International Airport around noon.

New Zealand is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, with its territory consisting of the North Island, South Island, and some smaller islands. The South Island is close to Antarctica, while the North Island is across the sea from Fiji and Tonga.

The capital, Wellington, and the largest city, Auckland, are both located on the North Island. The political system is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth.

Wellington has a marine climate, with mild and humid weather, plenty of sunshine, and little temperature variation throughout the year. In July, the average temperature is around 15°C (59°F), which is very comfortable.

"The scenery here is so beautiful. I think I want to buy a house here," Richard said, looking at the blue sea and the islands in the distance from the car. Wellington is a famous tourist city, with lush vegetation on the surrounding mountains, blue seas connecting with white sandy beaches, and picturesque views.

"Is it necessary? It takes a whole day to fly here from the U.S. Besides filming, do you have time to come here? The U.S. also has many nice tourist cities. Florida is pretty good, maybe you should check it out first," Mike laughed.

Richard nodded slightly, "It is too far."

The place the crew had arranged for them to stay was a small resort hotel. After looking at the room, Richard realized that since he would be staying here for a while, and Giselle might visit, it would be inconvenient to stay here.

He asked Anna to find a new place, preferably a seaside villa, without worrying about the cost.

The next day, Anna found a suitable place: a luxurious seaside estate at Point Jerningham, facing Nicholson Bay and not far from Wellington College and Wellington Park. The estate had a boxing training room, and the environment was excellent.

On the second day in Wellington, the three of them moved in.

After arriving in Wellington, Richard also met some of the crew members, including director Peter Jackson, Weta Workshop’s head Richard Taylor, producer Rick Porras, cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, and others.

There was also a group of actors, including Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, and Hugo Weaving as Elrond—a total of 28 main actors.

Most were relatively strong second-tier actors.

They rehearsed together for a few days and gradually became familiar with each other, and then the filming work began.

(End of the chapter)