We have these digs at each other. Viggo will go on about Elves and how they`re always doing their nails and brushing their long, blonde hair, and being all prissy. And I just say: Well, at least I`m going to live forever! Got that? LIVE FOREVER!

A big part of what I wanted to do with this character was go from when I was a boy and try and develop into a man, really try and play him as a man who is on this search, on a journey of personal, spiritual, political, social discovery.

I`m still at the beginning of my career. It`s all a little new, and I`m still learning as I go.

You don`t improvise with a Cameron Crowe script.

Obviously I always wanted to do a contemporary piece.

I crave working on those small independent movies because I love going to see those myself.

There`s a difference between a failure and a fiasco... a fiasco is a disaster of mythic proportions.

I`m trying to mix the cool, independent stuff with the big stuff, but it`s been difficult finding the right roles. It`s been an interesting ride as far as my career pendulum is concerned.

A friend told me that teenage girls are always looking for someone to pin their dreams on. That doesn`t make it any less weird though.

Someone tried to save my soul in a gas station.

Lord of the Rings was my first experience making movies and at the time, I had no ideas how movies were done. I thought that`s the way they`re done, so in a way, I had nothing to compare it to.

How can you be in hell while you are in my heart?

When everyone around you is doing all this incredible pirate acting and you`re having to sort of play the straight guy and move the story forward, you kind of want to be doing some of that pirate ripping it up stuff, but in truth, to be a part of that project is what I love.

Fame and celebrity were not something that I contemplated because they were too far ahead to imagine.

I try to take the time to appreciate and I certainly do appreciate and I do feel proud but that is probably one of the things I need to work on, building a bit of time for myself.

I missed my home - like the physicality of my home, I missed my friends and my family mostly and just hanging out and being in your home country - culturally it feels right and that is what I miss.

I think it`s sort of a rite of passage for a British actor to try and get the American accent and have a good crack at doing that.

It`s all very surreal. I`ve had two very fantastic experiences. In Lord of the Rings and in Black Hawk Down. I feel very lucky. I`m sort of doubly excited.

If life isn`t about humanity, then tell me what it`s about, because I`d love to know.

It was like a drama school of its own, being on set. Peter [Jackson] is a genius. Ian McKellen is the greatest theatre actor in Britain. He`s somebody I look at and say, `That`s what I would like to do.` I had studied videos of his performances, so it was bizarre to be thrown into an environment with him.

On his 2002 Empire Award: "I think my mum will have [my award] in pride of place somewhere beside my grandmother on the mantelpiece."

I got to work with one of my heroes, Johnny Depp, and to see how he goes about business, which was really inspiring for me at this stage in my career.

On how he got the part in Black Hawk Down (2001): "My character breaks his back, and I had mentioned I had done that when I was up for the part. Who knows why one actor gets a job and another doesn`t? I think it was just good timing that I happened to be there and I had had the experience - I mean, I was lucky."

I think a film set is a quite controlled environment and you feel like you can trust them and it is going to be a safe place to work, but I really don`t think about it.

Yeah, I mean the material, directors, the other cast, and if you think you can do something with the character then you do it and go from there. I am looking forward to doing some smaller movies.

When I saw the first I couldn`t believe I was in another great movie that would be made into a trilogy. This movie is quite visible and I think it will stand the test of time. I think kids and parents will love this movie for a long time.

I wondered how they would top the Pirates and skeletons and moonlight, because that`s a pretty cool concept.

[Talking about his relationship with Kate Bosworth]: "There`s been a lot of heat because we decided to take some time out. But we`re really close. It`s unfortunate everything has to be for public display. It`s hard when you travel. It makes relationships a challenge. I`ve always kept everything close to the vest, and that`s how I intend to play everything. We`ve both got a big year ahead, and we thought, just for this year, we`d give each other some time to grow."

Failure is simply the non-presence of success. But a fiasco is a disaster of mythic proportions.

I know how lucky I am. I`ve no complaints about the work.

The thing with Ridley [Scott] is he`s been doing this forever, he knows what it is he wants and how to get it. There`s absolutely no messing around on set. Having said that, he`s very accessible to actors, very open to what you want to do and willing to talk about it. He casts people who he feels are going to bring something to the role and allows them to take care of the situation, to do what it is that they do.

I had studied theater for three years in London when someone suggested me for the role.

On his character Legolas and the way Legolas moves: "Legolas doesn`t speak a lot - he prefers to let his actions speak for him. Legolas` moves are smooth and elegant, like a cat. You know how cats can jump and land steadily on their paws? That`s what I`m trying to do. There`s a strength in that, but it`s very balletic. It`s also bloody hard to do without falling over!"

I did send a girl a plane ticket asking her for a visit, I guess that`s quite romantic.

I came back out here from England and I was there for a while and it was beautiful and it is just great to see London going from Spring to Summer and Autumn.

Elf Envy...they all had it.

I `m at the beginning of my career and I hope I get to get the opportunity to play someone diverse and dark and more serious in the story.

People come into your life and people leave it... you just have to trust that life has a road mapped out for you.

I had the training at drama school where I studied Shakespeare and Brecht and Chekov and all these period historical playwrights and I think that I responded to the material.

I have played a boxer, a cowboy, a knight, a prince, an elf and a pirate. I am so glad to have done all of that already.

I`m so happy to have been a part of that process and I would go straight back into the desert in a ton of chain mail for Ridley any day of the week. He`s an amazing director and I can`t wait to see the long version.

Theatre is something that I feel very important for an actor to keep doing. I think it keeps you sharp. But at the moment I`m intrigued with movies and filmmaking. It hasn`t lured me away from theatre, but I`m just going to try to ride this wave and then jump onto another and see how far it takes me.

I am a hopeless romantic and I love to spoil my girlfriends.

If life isn`t about human beings and living in harmony, then I don`t know what it`s about.

I have played a boxer, a cowboy, a knight, a prince, an elf and a pirate. I am so glad to have done all of that already, and am ready for this phase of my career.

It`s the best gig in the world, are you kidding me? [on Pirates of the Carribean]

When I was nine, I had this girlfriend and we used to have running races in the park. I wanted to be like Superman and fly in and rescue her.

Elves are cool, man.

I got to dress up in funny clothes and run around New Zealand with a bow and arrow for 18 months, how bad could that be?

I always feel like a pirate.

I did send a girl a plane ticket, asking her for a visit, I guess that`s quite romantic.

Whatever happens in life is fine - just trust in that.

You have to be quite serious about tattoos [because] they`re there forever.

The truth is - I found myself doing these huge action-adventure movies, and um, and which are cool man. And I really love doing them. And thankfully I haven`t had too much dialogue, because if I had I would have really made a mess of it. You know what I mean?

My whole career has been fulfilling my childhood fantasies, playing characters that are larger than life, getting to play a knight, an elf, a prince, and a soldier.

I`d like to grow old gracefully or pain free at least.

I don`t do a film unless it has a sword in it. And if it doesn`t have a sword in it, I insist that they have one in the same room to keep me comfortable.

"When I`m not working, I prefer to sit and do nothing. The simple things suddenly become more enjoyable".

"I`m quite sensitive to women. I saw how my sister got treated by boyfriends. I read this thing that said when you are in a relationship with a woman, imagine how you would feel if you were her father. That`s been my approach, for the most part."

"The girls have got a bit excited. I spoke to my agent and she says she`s wading through the fan mail. We`ve got bags of it. I`m like, `OK, well, what do we do with that, then?` And she explains that we`re sending them pictures and stuff, which is great."

On being in love in general: "I`m in love with love. It`s heavenly when you`re falling for someone and you can`t stop thinking about her."

"Aged nine, I had this girlfriend, and we used to have running races in the park to see who would be her boyfriend for the day. I wanted to be like Superman and fly in and rescue her. Once I realised Superman was an actor, I thought, `That`s for me.`"

"It`s a bit strange to be included in those sexiest people polls and all that sort of thing. I don`t really even know who I`m up against!"

"For a young actor like me to have the oportunity to work with the genre of actors and directors on `Lord Of The Rings` is unbelievable. There was no, should I should I not. It was like, where do I sign up! It was just bonkers. It was like here, have a life."

"Vig used to call me `elf boy,` and I`d call him `filthy human.` As an Elf, I never got a scratch on me, never got dirty. And Vig would come out with blood and sweat all over him. And he`d say to me, `Oh, go manicure your nails.`"

"I broke my back. I fell out of a window... some friends had a roof terrace on the landing before their apartment, and I fell off the drain pipe. It gave way, actually, and I fell three floors. I was told I might not walk again. So, for about four days,I was contemplating that as a serious part of reality. Then they operated, and I walked out of the hospital in about twelve days."

"I`m rather accident-prone, I have to admit. I`ve broken my back, my ribs, my nose, both my legs, my arm, my wrist, a finger and a toe and cracked my skull three times."