Sir Peter Jackson considered taking an extreme measure to fully enjoy The Lord of the Rings.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the star said he felt "unlucky" he never got to see the surprises of the film so looked into hypnotherapy.
"When we did the Lord of the Rings movies I always felt I was the unlucky person who never got to see as a coming-out-of-the-blue film," he said.
"By the time there were screenings, I was immersed in it for five or six years. It was such a loss for me not to be able to see them like everyone else.
"I actually did seriously consider going to some hypnotherapy guy to hypnotise me to make me forget about the films and the work I had done over the last six or seven years so I could sit and enjoy them."
But while the beloved Kiwi director said he did not go ahead with hypnosis, his dreams of seeing the story like everyone else may come true with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on September 2, the upcoming fantasy series has no affiliation with the Oscar-winning director - but that wasn't by choice.
Jackson said Amazon once asked him to be involved in the series – but then never contacted him again.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the director first mentioned being "ghosted" by Amazon during an episode of the publication's Awards Chatter podcast before telling the story again in an upcoming episode of The Business podcast.
"About four, five years ago, [Amazon] asked if I would be interested in [the new series]," he said.
"So, I said, 'Have you got the scripts yet?' Because I know how hard the scripts were to write for the films, and I didn't know the people writing their scripts.
"They said, 'Oh no, we haven't got the scripts yet, but as soon as we do, we'll send you the scripts'.
"So, I was waiting for the scripts to arrive, and they never did."
However, Jackson said there are no hard feelings.
"I'll be watching [the show]," he told the podcast. "I'm not the sort of guy who wishes ill will. Film-making is hard enough. If somebody makes a good film or TV show, it's something to celebrate. The one thing I am looking forward to is actually seeing it as a perfectly neutral viewer."
In response to Jackson's comments, Amazon Studios has suggested there were legalities around keeping the new series separate from the previous Lord of The Rings movies.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Amazon Prime Video on September 2.
Ebony Lamb performs Successful Feelings. Made with funding from NZ On Air. Video / Locals Only