A Hero With Faults"

Actor Sean Bean Reflects on Bringing Boromir to Film

By Jason Fry

It's at the Council of Elrond that we first meet Boromir, a warrior
from Gondor who's come to represent his people in deciding the fate
of the One Ring – and to learn the secret of the Ring's rediscovery,
and the peril it poses.

For much of "The Fellowship of the Ring", Boromir is a cipher,
serving as wary foil to Aragorn, the long-lost heir to the kingdom
Boromir's family has kept safe for ages. Unhappily, he is overcome by
his fear for Gondor and his desire to use Sauron's Ring against him –
but then he redeems himself with a last-ditch defense of the Hobbits
Merry and Pippin against Saruman's dreaded Uruk-Hai.

It fell to the British actor Sean Bean, 43, to give Boromir life in
Peter Jackson's film version of "The Fellowship of the Ring". Bean
looks the part – he's weather-beaten and weary, as a seasoned warrior
who'd ridden across Middle-earth would be – but even the best actor
can only rise so far without a good script. Bean's job was made
vastly easier by Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, who
adapted J.R.R. Tolkien's book for the screen. The four wove Boromir's
fascination with the Ring back through the screenplay.

For instance, Boromir urges the Council of Elrond to take up the Ring
against Sauron, and later, he is seen retrieving the Ring from the
snow, appearing hypnotized by it. He wistfully marvels that so small
a thing should cause such fear and doubt. At Amon Hen, he is overcome
by the power of the Ring. In addition, the screenwriters crafted a
new scene before the Council's meeting in which Boromir examines
Narsil – the blade wielded by Isildur, Gondor's last king, against
Sauron – only to despairingly reject it as a broken heirloom. And, of
course, they wrote a moving death scene for the character, crafting a
moment in which both Bean and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) truly shine.

"The film has a lot of heart, and where we wanted to start off was
with the characters," Bean says.

So who is Boromir? "He's a strong man emotionally and physically –
one of the strongest in Gondor," Bean says, while acknowledging that
in the beginning the character is very suspicious, and doubtful of
the Fellowship's intentions. He sees himself, Bean says, as providing
the Fellowship with both a physical and a military backbone.

Yet Boromir has what actors and writers call "an arc", in which the
character grows and changes – in Boromir's case, for better and for
worse. "I think during the course of his journey you can see there is
some sensitivity to him and a vulnerability," Bean says. "I believe
that he's a good man and wants to do well for his people, but he's
got weaknesses. He's susceptible to the Ring because he's a mortal."

Boromir is no villain, Bean makes clear, calling the character "a
hero with faults". That's a useful distinction for an actor better
known to American fans for playing bad guys. He first registered with
U.S. audiences as Sean Miller, the IRA terrorist who battles with
Harrison Ford in 1992's "Patriot Games". In 1995's "Goldeneye", Bean
was Alex [sic] Trevelyan, the turncoat British agent who betrays
Pierce Brosnan's James Bond. Last year, he played opposite Michael
Douglas as the brutal thief Patrick Koster in "Don't Say a Word".

Bean says he enjoys playing villains – though he notes that he never
plays evil for evil's sake. You have to know, he says, "what
motivates a character – why do they behave the way they behave?" And
villains, he notes, don't see themselves as such: They've "got their
reasons for doing what they're doing."

Bean chalks up his American image as a bad guy to an accident of his
acting career. (Certainly it's one that "The Fellowship of the Ring"
should help him shrug off.) "When I played my first bad guy in
America, I'd reached a stage [of] of being quite a good guy in the
U.K.," he notes.

The Path to Middle-Earth ~

Like all actor's journeys, Bean's was built on hard work – lots of
it. He worked as a welder in his father's business in his late teens
and was a promising art student before an acting course caught his
eye and led Bean to change his plans. He attended the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Art in London and honed his craft with a number of stage
roles, including "A Misummer Night's Dream," "The Fair Maid of the
West," and two productions of "Romeo and Juliet" (he was Tybalt
first, then Romeo).

His most famous role in Britain is that of Richard Sharpe, a soldier
of the Napoleonic Wars whom Bean has played in a number of
productions since 1993. If not for an accident, however, the role
would never have been his. Bean got the part when the original
Sharpe, Paul McGann – seen in the likes of Alien 3 and The Queen of
the Damned – injured his leg. But while he began as a replacement,
Bean quickly made the role his own. He loved playing Sharpe and would
gladly do so again, he says.

Like Boromir, Sharpe is a character from a book series that inspires
fierce loyalty from devoted fans. "There is a responsibility when
you're an actor playing a classic," Bean acknowledges. "People have
expectations." (Sharpe fans are more than pleased – in fact, author
Bernard Cornwell has been quoted as saying he now imagines Bean in
the role when he writes new Sharpe adventures.)

Playing Sharpe was also, Bean acknowledges, good preparation for
playing Boromir. Like the warrior from Gondor, Sharpe is a valiant
man with a weak, vulnerable side. And as with "The Fellowship of the
Rings", the Sharpe films were shot in a location a bit off the beaten
track for actors – the Crimea – and the actors formed a strong bond.

"We had to – it was really tough out there," Bean says. "That's what
it felt like for `The Lord of the Rings'. I think that comes across
on the screen – I think you can see that bond, that friendship.
Because we were a group of people helping each other." Bean calls New
Zealand a "wonderful country", adding that he drinks "some of their
beers now".

The Sharpe adventures stand as one of the most popular TV series in
British history, but they're hardly Bean's only exposure to U.K. TV
audiences. His lengthy list of credits includes playing Carver Doone
in the 1990 epic "Lorna Doone"; starring as the rogue Lovelace in
1991's "Clarissa"; and his not-for-kids turn as the lusty gamekeeper
Mellors in 1992's "Lady Chatterley", a steamy role that earned him a
reputation as a heartthrob.

His early film work, meanwhile, showed him to be an actor of
considerable range, and not just as a villain. His first big role was
in 1988's "Stormy Monday", written and directed by "Leaving Las
Vegas"'s Mike Figgis. Bean played Brendan, a jazz fan who works in a
nightclub run by Sting, and the young actor held his own opposite the
likes of Tommy Lee Jones, Melanie Griffith, and Sting. In 1990's "The
Field", he played Tadgh McCabe, the son of an Irish tenant farmer
played by Richard Harris. Since then, he's starred in children's
movies (from 1994's "Black Beauty", in which he plays one of the
horse's early owners, to this year's "Tom and Thomas"), riveted
audiences as the vicious drug dealer Jason Locke in 2000's "Essex
Boys", and even got to play a football star in 1996's "When Saturday
Comes" – a thrill for an actor famous as a passionate fan of
Sheffield United. His next big role will be opposite Christian Bale
and Emily Watson in "Equilibrium", a science-fiction thriller in
which citizens of the future are controlled by a militaristic police
force through enforced doses of a dehumanizing drug. (In the
meantime, he makes an appearance in the Moby video, "We Are All Made
of Stars", alongside the likes of Todd Bridges, Gary Coleman, Kato
Kaelin, and Verne Troyer, a.k.a. Mini Me.)

~ Becoming Boromir ~

Going to New Zealand to film "The Fellowship of the Ring" wasn't
Bean's first exposure to Middle-earth. He'd read "The Lord of the
Rings" in his younger days, although he says he never realized there
were so many people interested in the trilogy – including people he's
known "for 35 years". The actor says he brushed up for the role of
Boromir by re-reading the books during filming. Discussions with
Jackson and his fellow writers, and well as with Mortensen, also
helped him get a sense of the character.

In addition, Bean spent six weeks immersed in the imaginary world
that was taking shape in New Zealand, familiarizing himself with
everything from the costumes to the swords he and his fellow actors
would wield. "It was as though that world was created for us," he
says. "It wasn't difficult to take the step from reality to Middle-
earth – everything was geared toward entering that world."

Bean particularly enjoyed the fight scenes, which he called "quite
exhilarating – it's an adrenaline rush." He went out of his way to
credit Bob Anderson – the legendary "swordmaster" whose resume
includes training Erroll Flynn, working as a consultant on "Star
Wars", and now teaching "The Lord of the Rings" cast. "We were in
great hands," Bean says. "It's great fun to fight every day with a
shield and a sword. It's just such a joy."

Bean knows firsthand the dangers of even mock fighting – he still has
a scar from an accident of the set of "Patriot Games". During a fight
scene with co-star Harrison Ford, the actors slipped, and Ford
whacked Bean over the eye with a boat hook, leaving him with "a big
shiner" and a lot of stitches. (Though he reported to the set the
next morning, he says it was lucky that the mishap happened near the
end of shooting.)

"At least I can say Harrison Ford gave it to me," Bean jokes,
acknowledging with a professional's calm acceptance that, well,
accidents happen. "You can't guarantee everything 100 percent," he
says. "You just hope it's not too serious."

Thankfully, Bean was spared further scars in "The Fellowship of the
Ring" – no orc blades missed their mark. But that doesn't mean the
shoot wasn't long and grueling. Through the experience, all the
actors in the Fellowship became friends, a bond now famously
signified by the nine actor's tattoos. (Bean sports another as
tribute to Sheffield United.) "We all needed a hand now and then,"
Bean says, adding that "it was very fortunate, in some ways, because
that's what the Fellowship is about."

Bean says he formed a particularly close bond with Mortensen. The
two, he notes, are about the same age, with similar interests and the
same sense of humor, and both "respected each other and really
enjoyed working with each other as actors."

Their characters play off each other in the story as well. Aragorn
and Boromir are the two men in the Fellowship, sharing a history of
battle against Sauron's minions. But that common ground is also a
source of friction: Boromir stands to succeed his father as the
steward of Gondor and its effective ruler, while Aragorn is revealed
as the heir to that vacant throne. One of the storylines woven
through "The Fellowship of the Ring" is how Boromir comes to honor
Aragorn not only as a warrior and a friend, but also as the king to
whom he owes allegiance.

Unlike Aragorn, however, Boromir proves unable to resist the lute of
the Ruing. His struggle is clear from the very beginning – in
Lothlorien he all but confides his desperation to Aragorn after
failing Galadriel's test. (Fans of Cate Blanchett and of the books'
every twist and turn can both rejoice: The scene where the Elf-Queen
bestows gifts on the Fellowship will be included on the Special
Extended DVD edition that will come out in November).

As Bean sees it, Galadriel's test – "she looks right through him" –
ultimately allows Boromir to confide, to the extent that he can, in
Aragorn. "It's almost a release for him," Bean says. "He probably
finds some comfort" in the telling, he says, and is able to face down
his demons because of it, at least for a little while. "That was a
particularly interesting scene for me because you can see what this
man is about," Bean says. "It's a good moment."

Not long after, of course, Boromir finally falls prey to temptation –
and is mortally wounded in a gallant, though doomed, defense of Merry
and Pippin against Saruman's Uruk-Hair and Lurtz. He lives long
enough to confess his failure to Aragorn and salute him as his king
in a moving farewell that's Bean's finest moment in the movie.

Bean deflects some of the praise for his work in that scene,
insisting on sharing credit with Mortensen. "He is a great guy to
have by your side in that situation – he's such a wonderfully giving
actor," Bean says.

Another reason for the scene's power: Bean says it was shot about two-
thirds of the way through filming, which gave the actors "that luxury
of getting to know each other and act with each other" first. He
contrasts that experience with movies in which he hasn't had that
time, noting that he's worked on movies with love scenes on the first
day of the shoot, requiring him literally to jump into bed with
someone he didn't know. ("It can be a bit embarrassing," he says
offhandedly.) Not so with "The Fellowship of the Ring". "Peter
Jackson gave Boromir's death scene some time to sink in – there's a
silence in it," Bean says.

But while Bean is modest about his turn as Boromir, director Jackson
praised his performance in a recent interview with the Fan Club
magazine.

Boromir's death scene, he says, "was really one of the big payoffs"
in the film. "I think that the climax of any film has to revolve
around an emotional moment, not just a piece of fighting. In a sense,
the entire fight on Amon Hen is leading up to the moment where
Boromir dies."

Moreover, the scene was a challenging one for any actor to pull off.

"You know, it's not easy when you're basically playing somebody who's
been shot full of arrows and you're gasping your last breath and
lying on the ground," Jackson notes. "Your performance is very
intense and very internalized because you are not waving your arms
around you and not able to use your body to gesture. You just have to
make it very powerful from the pure emotional state of your heart and
your mind. I though Sean did that really, really well. His judgment
and his sense of where Boromir was at that time were impeccable, as
far as I'm concerned."

That sense of the character was something Bean had worked hard to
capture whenever Boromir was onscreen. Boromir's tragedy, he
says, "shows how powerful the ring is and how it corrupts men As you
go along with his journey, hopefully you realize what's decaying him
inside."

That hardly makes Boromir a conventional hero – but that's part of
what appealed to Bean about the role.

"The more complex a character is, the more interesting he is to play,
because I think we're all like that," he says. "I think we all have
these conflicting emotions, and we don't like to admit it, and we try
to suppress them. But I suppose at the end of the day, unless you
face them, they're going to come out when you least expect it."

Yet despite Boromir's failure, both Bean and Jackson note that the
warrior throws himself into battle at the end and finds some
redemption.

"I felt it was very important to make him die a hero rather than a
villain," Jackson says, adding that "ultimately, he does get
overwhelmed by the Ring, but then he redeems himself to some degree
at the end by protecting Merry and Pippin the best he can

It was very important to us to capture that feeling," Jackson
says. "We had shot the scene where he takes the Ring from Frodo, and
he is behaving in a certain way because of the Ring. We really wanted
to judge the way that Sean performed those final scenes to make it
feel that he had some redemption and had regretted what he had done.
We wanted to show that he basically died a hero's death, and I think
Sean played that really well. It was something he had to control. He
had to redeem himself. As an actor, he had to find [those heroic]
qualities in Boromir in those final death scenes."

~ A Job Well Done ~

"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, of course, must continue without
Boromir and Bean. (Though rumors are swirling that Bean will appear,
albeit briefly, in flashbacks.) While Bean says he's sorry he won't
be around as part of the main story, he says "I don't think the fans
would be grateful. You can't take liberties in terms of storytelling."

Moviegoers will meet Boromir's brother Faramir – portrayed by
Australian actor David Wenham, who really could pass for Bean's
little brother – in "The Two Towers" this winter. Wenham has his work
cut out for him matching Bean's effort, but like Bean, he'll have
help from the same fine crew of writers - and Peter Jackson, of
course.

Jackson "would give you an indication of what he wanted, and you
sensed what he wanted, but he left it up to you," Bean says, adding
that the director "let every character breathe…That's what it's all
about, really: the characters. Their emotions, how they interact, who
they are."