Elijah Wood reflects on how he avoided the curse of child stardom
In a Q interview, the actor also talks about his new family-friendly movie Bookworm
Elijah Wood is probably the best case scenario for an ex-child star.
The 43-year-old actor made his film debut in 1989's Back to the Future Part II before he established himself with lead roles throughout the 1990s in movies like Radio Flyer and Disney's adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By the early 2000s, he was a megastar thanks to The Lord of the Rings franchise.
But unlike many actors who found fame in their childhood and adolescence, Wood came out of the experience pretty unscathed, free of scandal, and with a career that seamlessly transitioned into adulthood. He's spent the last 20 years popping up in all kinds of unexpected roles, from playing an FBI agent in No Man of God to doing cartoon voice work in Happy Feet to playing a Criss Angel-style stage magician who reconnects with his estranged daughter in his latest movie, Bookworm.
In an interview with Q guest host Talia Schlanger, Wood says he was "never really wooed by the dark aspects of the industry." A lot of his success — and lack of trauma — comes from how his mother raised him and handled his early career.
"My mom was really concerned with raising a good human, first and foremost," Wood says. "So that took precedence over any career…. She never let me accept special treatment. They often try and put you at the front of the line at lunchtime. She'd be like, 'No, get at the back with the crew.' She would always have me hang my clothes up at the end of the day, my wardrobe, instead of just leaving it in a heap or whatever. And it instilled in me … a professionalism and a degree of respect and humility."
He adds that as a kid, he was "never really overly defined by being an actor." Now, after more than 30 years in the industry, he continues to acknowledge that his success comes, in part, from "a fair amount of luck."
"Opportunities have to be there for you to take them and to continue to work," he says. "So I was also just simply lucky enough to continue to get new opportunities that propelled me forward, that allowed me to keep working. The fact that I'm 43 now and I'm still working is a gift, and it's not something I take for granted."
Wood's new family-friendly adventure film Bookworm opened Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival, which runs until Aug. 4. The movie hits theaters across the country later this year.
The full interview with Elijah Wood, where he also talks about playing a father in Bookworm, is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Elijah Wood produced by Kaitlyn Swan.
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