The adaptation of the children's fairy tale “The Hobbit” gave amazed fans a lot of amazing discoveries: from new characters, which were not even a hint in the book, to the author's rethinking of events. Perhaps one of the main shocks was Azog the Defiler, the main antagonist of Thorin Oakenshield. He immediately formed a circle of fans who sincerely grieved at the end of the trilogy about the demise of the charismatic orc. How did Azog come about and why was it so charming?
Pale Orc from Mount Gundabad
At all times, the love of the audience was enjoyed by characters who had a bright personality and stood out from the crowd. Azog the Defiler compares favorably with a whole series of inexpressive movie villains, even if his actions in most cases achieve the goal, bring the main enemy unbearable pain and grief of loss. He does not look like a loser bandit, on which the crystal-positive protagonist hones his charm. Azog stands out by its statues and character. He is the only one sitting on a white warg, has his own history and understandable motives for action.
Peter Jackson: The Godfather of Azog the Defiler
It should be noted that the creator of the movie trilogy, Peter Jackson, until the last moment did not know exactly what Azog the Defiler would look like. The appearance concept was not suitable for such a hero, and had to develop a new one from scratch. However, the viewer can see how this hero could become - his appearance went to Bolg, the son of Azog. The filmmakers abandoned the idea of plastic makeup, and the image of Azog was formed on top of the capture of the actor’s movements.
It's funny that together with the appearance, Bolg also inherited a performer who was originally approved for the role of Azog. Instead, Manu Bennett was invited. The films in which Bennett was shot became popular shortly before the start of work on the Jackson trilogy. Perhaps, it was the series "Spartak: Blood and Sand", where he appeared in the role of Crixus, brought fame to the actor, they began to recognize him on the streets. Prior to this, Bennett starred in episodes, but his characters were recognizable. This is Mark Antony in the series Xena, the Warrior Queen, and Paco in Sentenced. Manu Bennett was invited to auditions in the Hobbit movie trilogy just in the wake of the popularity of the Spartak series. He auditioned for the role of Azog, but luck smiled at another actor. And yet, in the end, the role found its artist.
Peter Jackson freely treated the source, and this was repeatedly reproached him. According to the book, Azog died in battle long before the events that are narrated in the tale of the hobbit, although it was he who cut off the head of Tror, Torin's grandfather. Jackson developed and supplemented the image of Azog, gave him a long life, a motive for revenge, remarkable talents of a strategist and commander. From a fleeting mention in a children's book, a bright and charismatic character developed.
Manu Bennett on working on the image of Azog
It is possible that the actor who played Azog the Defiler influenced the character more than it seems at first glance. The fact is that the blood of the Maori, the indigenous population of New Zealand, flows in Bennett’s veins . Authentic warlike poses and facial expressions sometimes slip through the behavior of Azog. Suspiciously symmetrical orc scars wonderfully resonate with the Maori ritual scarring, which only looks like a tattoo.
Azog the Defiler became an interesting experience of reincarnation for Bennett. Not every actor will organically play in the process of intercepting movements. When filming the first part, Manu Bennett never once met with Richard Armitage, who played Torin, despite the captured scene of the armed confrontation. They met only before the premiere.
According to the actor, this is a completely new approach to the art of reincarnation. However, he managed to convincingly play, even taking into account the lack of a stage partner and riding on the warg model.
The unexpected success of the Pale Orc
Compared to the average orcs, Azog even looks aristocratic. He is handsome in his own way. The low velvety voice into which sound engineers weaved notes of a leopard growl causes goosebumps in impressionable spectators. After Manu Bennett said that he gave his white warg the nickname Daisy (daisy), a wave of fan creativity swept the Internet. Fans painted a story about how the white warg and Azog the Defiler began their strange friendship. The actor said that on the set they even came up with an inscription on a T-shirt: "Varg is the orc’s best friend."
The fantasy of the audience completed what Peter Jackson began brilliantly and talentedly embodied Mana Bennett. The image of Azog sparkled with all colors, he attracts the audience with his undisguised masculinity, manic desire for revenge, multiplied by the talents of the commander. Perhaps, without the Pale Orc, the film would not have been so exciting.