Peter Jackson already had experience hiding a recognizable actor beneath makeup and effects in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, casting John Rhys-Davies (the tallest member of the cast) as Gimli the dwarf. The Hobbit upped the ante with a cast of 13 dwarves, all heavily obscured in contrast to Martin Freeman’s shrunken role as Bilbo Baggins. Richard Armitage (of British series Robin Hood, Strike Back, and MI-5, and Heinz Kruger in Captain America) pulled out a diminutive but powerful Gerard Butler impression as Thorin Oakenshield. Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Aidan Turner, and nine others donned heavy makeup in order to fill out Thorin’s company, and not a single one stood out without the help of the end credits. And if the first Hobbit film was any indication of covered-up performances, Billy Connolly will be added to the list after playing dwarf king Dain Ironfoot in the second and third installments.
