No one in their right mind can get angry because The Lord of the Rings movies don’t have realistic elements. We are talking about one of the most outstanding works of fiction both at a literary and cinematographic level. And yet, we know that it has at least one very realistic detail…perhaps too much than necessary.
Do you remember when Grima, Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) stabs Saruman (Christopher Lee) while the latter is dealing with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli and company in The return of the King
Jackson complained to Lee that he didn’t shout “Aaaah!” nor did he make an exaggerated moan when being stabbed by Grima. Both told the same story during different interviews and in the additional content of the film. The director tried to explain to him what he should do, but the actor replied: “Do you have any idea the sound a person makes when they are stabbed in the back? Because I do. […] It is a gasp because the breath is expelled from the body.”
And this is where the story gets interesting. Jackson recalled several times what the situation was like after the actor’s reply: “He told me things about a very clandestine part of World War II. […] He seemed to know perfectly well the sound they make, so I didn’t continue talking about it.” And Christopher Lee, who died in 2025, fought in the Second World War
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