Here’s the next episode in our series of interviews from the December 2, 2003 roundtable discussions! In this interview–just before The Return of the King was released–Elijah wood reflects on the journey of becoming Frodo Baggins. From long days on set in New Zealand to forging real friendships with his castmates, he shares what made filming The Lord of the Rings so special—and why he’d happily do it all over again.

He discusses:

• Four years of filmmaking and friendship
• The camaraderie at the heart of Middle-earth
• What Elijah learned about himself through Frodo
• Life as “Frodo” in the eyes of fans