The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson really wanted to forget about making these films.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 60-year-old director explained why he wanted to forget about Middle-earth… and there was a very good reason for that.
“When we were making films on The Lord of the Rings, I always felt like I was an unhappy person who never got to see a movie coming out of nowhere,” he said. “By the time of the show, I was immersed in it for five or six years. It was such a loss for me not to be able to see them like everyone else.”
Jackson was instrumental in bringing “The Lord of the Rings” to the big screen, starting with “The Fellowship of the Ring” in 2001. He followed it up with “Two Towers” in 2002 and finally “The Return of the King” in 2004.
In addition, Jackson continued them with “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, as well as with its sequels, “The Wasteland of Smaug” and “The Battle of the Five Armies”. That’s a lot of Tolkien over the years.
But he still wants to watch movies exclusively as a fan.
“I was actually seriously thinking about going to some hypnotherapist to hypnotize me so that I would forget about the movies and the work I’ve done over the last six or seven years so that I could sit and enjoy them,” he said. “I didn’t finish the job, but I talked to [British mentalist] Derren Brown about it, and he thought he could do it.”
Fortunately, he didn’t go through with it and still remembers making films on The Lord of the Rings… and Amazon, which made the upcoming Lord of the Rings show Rings of Power, was also all too aware of his contribution.
Even if they ended up becoming his ghost after asking him for help.
The Lord of the Rings films in (chronological) order
However, it looks like this time Jackson will finally enjoy a Tolkien project he hasn’t worked on yet… and he’s getting this fan experience for the first time.
“I’m going to watch it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m not one of those guys who wants evil. Cinema is quite difficult. If someone makes a good movie or TV show, it needs to be celebrated. The only thing I’m looking forward to is seeing him as a completely neutral viewer.”
Want to know more about Power Rings? Check out our guide on how best to watch The Lord of the Rings movies, as well as what the upcoming TV show will be about.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and IGN film critic. You can follow him on Twitter.