Peter Jackson Officially Confirmed His Favorite Lord of the Rings Character (& It’s Not Who You Think)

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Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is full of memorable characters, from heroic figures like Aragorn to compelling villains like Saruman. While fans would likely have many different favorite characters from Middle-earth, Jackson’s personal pick is a bit unusual. He revealed his favorite in the commentary for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, stating…

I really enjoy Treebeard’s focus on small details. He’s probably my favorite character. While Gollum is fantastic, I appreciate that Treebeard is so precise and a bit of a stickler for rules. I find his seriousness and somewhat boring personality surprisingly funny, and he definitely thinks highly of himself.

Treebeard, first appearing in The Two Towers, was one of the Ents – ancient, tree-like giants who guarded the forests of Fangorn. After escaping from the Uruk-hai, the hobbits Merry and Pippin met Treebeard, who initially thought they were Orcs. Once he realized they knew Gandalf, he agreed to protect them in Fangorn while Gandalf addressed the issues in Rohan. Eventually, Merry and Pippin persuaded Treebeard and the other Ents to join the war against Saruman, which ultimately led to the wizard’s downfall. Director Peter Jackson often spoke about his love for the Ents, even jokingly suggesting more scenes with them. However, his genuine appreciation for Treebeard stemmed from two key reasons.

Treebeard Provided Comic Relief in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

As previously mentioned, Peter Jackson found Treebeard’s particular fussiness very funny, especially considering he was meant to be this ancient, powerful protector of the forest. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings heavily featured environmental themes, and Treebeard delivered these messages with a surprisingly lighthearted touch. This comedic timing isn’t accidental – Treebeard was voiced by John Rhys-Davies, who also played Gimli. Plus, because Treebeard had lived for so long, he naturally moved and acted very slowly, which the hobbits found frustrating. Jackson deliberately portrayed Treebeard as slow and a bit dull for comedic effect, and also to build tension around his hesitation when deciding whether or not to fight Saruman.

Jackson felt he might have portrayed Treebeard too well, as some viewers criticized the character for being slow and dull. He particularly regretted cutting a scene from the theatrical release of The Two Towers that showed Treebeard telling a long story to a sleepy Merry and Pippin. Jackson believed this scene would have clarified that Treebeard’s deliberate slowness was part of his character, even calling it “the one thing” he wished he’d kept. Considering the extended edition added 24 minutes of footage, his strong desire to include this scene highlights his affection for the character.

Treebeard Was a Difficult Character to Portray in The Lord of the Rings Films

Peter Jackson had two main reasons for loving the character Treebeard. The first resonated with audiences, but the second was deeply personal to him and his filmmaking team. Creating Treebeard and the Ents was a huge challenge – they knew bringing walking, talking trees to life on film would be incredibly difficult, so it became one of their earliest priorities. Because the Ents’ faces were made of stiff materials like bark, making them show subtle emotions proved tricky. Wētā Workshop solved this by dividing Treebeard’s face into separate, movable pieces, but even then, his expressions were more limited than a human actor’s. As a result, they had to rely heavily on his eyes and voice to convey his feelings.

Peter Jackson felt the Ents in The Lord of the Rings films most closely captured the original, imaginative designs of concept artist Alan Lee. Prior to Jackson’s films, depictions of Ents varied greatly in different adaptations, but his films—and specifically the work of Wētā Workshop—have become the standard. The Ents in the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are a good example of this influence. Jackson was particularly pleased with how realistic the Ents looked, and this deepened his fondness for the character Treebeard. He saw creating Treebeard as continuing a tradition of bringing large creatures to life on screen, inspired by films like Jason and the Argonauts which used techniques like animatronics and claymation.

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2025-11-09 17:09