Figwit
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In New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy based on the book of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien, Figwit is the fan-derived name for an unnamed Elf extra played by Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords and The Black Seeds fame. "Figwit" is derived from "Frodo is grea…who is that?" This is in reference to the distraction viewers may experience due to Figwit's physical appearance and demeanor.
Figwit is seen in the first movie during the council of Elrond. He sits next to Aragorn until they all stand up to argue. After Frodo shouts "I will take it!" and everyone turns and looks at him, Figwit is standing on the far right. He is standing in the background for only a fraction of a second; part of the joke is that he is a very minor background extra. This is the scene whence his name is derived: the idea is that the viewer is thinking, "Frodo is grea—" as Frodo agrees to take the ring, but as the camera changes to the rest of the Council, the viewer sees the extra Elf and thinks, "Who is that?"
He is also seen in the third movie (credited as "Elf Escort") in the scene where Arwen is leaving for the Grey Havens and has the vision about her future son Eldarion. He is the one who tells her to get back with the others. He has two lines: "Lady Arwen, we cannot delay!" and then "My lady!"
Figwit's rise to fame began shortly after the first movie. Peter Jackson, who directed the trilogy, stated in the DVD commentary for The Return of the King that he was given dialogue in the third movie because Jackson became aware of the attention given to this extra. Jackson mentions the phenomenon in the commentary track on the extended version of the Return of the King DVD: "the decision to give him a speaking role was developed after the scene was scripted. Originally just a random cast extra was to give the lines, but it was decided that it would be fun if the Figwit actor was brought in to deliver them."
Figwit does not appear in Tolkien's writings and was created exclusively for the films. Because of this, there is little authentic information regarding him, save that he was an escort. The only "official" place where the name "Figwit" actually appears is on a The Return of the King series card from Topps #38 — "Return to Rivendell". The front of the card features a profile view of Figwit with the back text reading: "Front: The Elf Figwit (Bret McKenzie) reminds her that they must go on the ships, but the determined Arwen simply rides off without explanation." He is a popular subject in slash fiction (where an "Elvish" equivalent of his name, Melpomaen, was coined) and (to a lesser extent) as a sex symbol. Figwit's card in The Lord of the Rings collectible card game gives his name as Aegnor, the name of one of Galadriel's brothers in The Silmarillion.
In 2004 a 57 minute documentary on the Figwit phenomenon "Frodo is great... Who is that?!!" [1] was made by three Wellington filmmakers Stan Alley, Nick Booth and Hannah Clarke - all of whom worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the last of whom is now McKenzie's fiancee. The documentary follows McKenzie to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he meets the fans of his trademark pout and "elvish good looks" and features extensive interviews with fans behind various Figwit fan sites as well as Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne, Mark Ordesky, Ian McKellen and other cast members.
