Graham McTavish, who plays Dwalin, has stayed quiet on the origin of his dwarf beard. Photo / Supplied
Q: What's your actual height and did you lie about it to get the part?
I am 6ft 3in - I just spent the first few months on my knees hoping no one would notice.
Q: Was that a real beard? If so how long did it take to grow?
Can't tell you, I'm afraid ...
Q: Given the similarity of names, did you have any initial problems remembering who was who in the company of dwarves?
I made up my own names for them, most of which are unprintable.
Q: Had your guy instead been part of that other storybook dwarf team - Sleepy, Dopey and Grumpy etc - what would your name have been?
Baldy.
Q: The Fellowship of the Ring blokes went out and got tattoos. What was the dwarf bonding equivalent?
We did something but we'd like to keep it between the dwarves, if that's okay. We didn't want to repeat what the other guys had done, but felt very strongly that we wanted to mark the experience in some way that was personal to us.
Q: Of the other actors in The Hobbit cast, were there any you encountered that made you slightly starstruck and why?
I don't really get starstruck. I love meeting extraordinary people. Some of them could be described as "stars" but most extraordinary people are not "stars", and vice-versa.
Q: In figuring out how to act like a dwarf, was Gimli a good starting point?
No comment.
Q: Presumably you will be immortalised as an action figure. Will you be giving them away as Christmas presents?
Only after I've finished playing with them!
Who's who
Who: Graham McTavish (Scotland)
Who plays: Dwalin
Who is: The ultimate warrior of the company who doesn't much like anyone who isn't a dwarf.
