Rings special: Interviews with the cast

Liv Tyler: 'The first half is lots of shots of me crying to the tune of Total Eclipse Of The Heart. Shall I sing it to you? "Turn around bright eyes." I'm just crying all the time. The second half is me on a horse where you can see I'm almost falling off with nausea. Lots of messing up elf words and lots of cursing. I can't believe I swear so much.'

Fans and conventions

Ian McKellen: 'I now realise how much of a loved figure Gandalf is. As I walk down the street, I get people calling out his name. It's as close as I want to get to being famous. Fans were holding up signs at the LA premiere that said "Gandalf for Governor". Perhaps, if they have a recall, I might stand against Arnie.'

Sean Astin: 'I did four conventions this year as I wanted to see what they were like. I knew from my dad and his hippy era with Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes that there were communities out there but I'd never met them. It's a wonderful juxtaposition to the real world.'

Liv Tyler: 'I've never been to one. I don't fancy standing around in costume all day.'

Billy Boyd: 'Actually, conventions are quite good fun. It's good to talk to people with a huge knowledge of the books.'

Bernard Hill (Theoden): 'I've had a few requests for conventions but I haven't done any yet. I think it's all a bit awkward and seems a little desperate.'

Anything else you got to keep?

Ian McKellen: 'Gandalf's sword.'

Viggo Mortensen: 'Aragorn's sword. It's just an object but it's quite cool. The main thing is the memories.'

Sean Astin: 'A pair of feet, the backpack, my sword.'

Liv Tyler: 'One of my dresses but I never wear it - no, not even on special occasions. It's three layers of velvet.'

Billy Boyd: 'The feet, the big ears and the sword.'

Dangers opn set:

Peter Jackson: 'We shot the scenes outside the doors of Mordor when Aragorn gives his speech in The Return Of The King on army land. The only bit which looked right was where they had been doing live firing for about 40 years. We had bomb disposal men on set in case we came across an unexploded bomb.'

Sean Astin: 'The hobbit feet smell terrible after a while. The rubber rots and they get even smellier. I had 50 pairs applied that never appeared on screen.'

Liv Tyler: 'Cate [Blanchett], Miranda [Otto] and I were the main women on set - except the ones in false beards pretending to be soldiers - so we got lots of hugs, kisses and the occasional slap on the ass. But don't worry, I slapped a few asses back.'

Billy Boyd: 'When I'm being carried by Treebeard in Two Towers, I was sat on a bicycle saddle in one of the branches of this huge animatronic tree. As the tree leaned forward, I was always being pitched forward and it totally crushed my knackers. You get these guys who invent all these weird and wonderful creatures - would a comfortable seat have been too much to ask?'

Andy Serkis: 'I got a very bad back from taking the decision to make Gollum crawl. Four and a half years later, I'm wondering if that was a wise call.'

Glad it's over?

Peter Jackson: 'I'm relieved. I'm glad there's not a fourth Lord Of The Rings film next year. Three's a good number. I'm tired - we only wrapped up three weeks ago. It was the hardest film and post production was tough - there are twice as many computer-generated characters. The last 40mins were hard. You want to balance the big battle with what Frodo and Sam still have to go through. I feel sad that it's over and I won't be filming with the actors in those characters. No more Aragorn, no more Frodo, no more Arwen - gone.'

Ian McKellen: 'I was in Soho a month ago putting down the last grunts for Gandalf's battle scenes and I was shouting and shouting so I lost my voice. I said: "Is that it Peter?" He said: "Yes, except for the extended DVD." So the separation is quite gradual. The cast and I have become close again doing publicity, so I'm in for a melancholic holiday period.'

Sean Astin: 'I'm glad that I've been able to shed a few pounds. I lost a lot of weight and then had to put it back on for pick-up shots. It's nice to be able to get rid of it for good.'

Billy Boyd: 'There's a hint of sadness but it's nice to know there's a full stop and a fourth one won't be made.'

Fondest memories?

Peter Jackson: 'The whole of The Return Of The King. There's a stronger emotional depth. It was also more fun as we knew we were filming the climax.'

Ian McKellen: 'Peter Jackson was lovely. Half an hour after filming finished, there was a party on the battlements of Minas Tirith. Peter is standing there under torchlight, gives you a present and then shows your little farewell tape. Totally unnecessary but very worth it.'

Viggo Mortensen: 'The writing. The heroic characters aren't perfect, they don't have all the answers and aren't afraid to admit that. I wish more of the leaders in the world had that kind of humility. Also working with Peter. When I go down the path of the dead in The Return Of The King, and confront the spirits, I was playing against nothing - they're all CGI. I was in a huge green hall and Peter was being the scary ghost, shouting excitably. That was the kind of enthusiasm he put in.'

Liv Tyler: 'My favourite scene has to be where the hobbits return to Hobbiton and are in the pub holding their little glasses and smoking pipe weed and no one needs to say anything at all.'

Billy Boyd: 'There's a battle scene in The Return Of The King where Pippin tells Gandalf: "I didn't think it would end this way." And Gandalf talks about death. That's beautifully written.'

Andy Serkis: 'Finally getting my real face on screen for The Return.'

Bernard Hill: 'The digital blink out which took all the blinks out of my death scene. You have dust, debris and hair blowing in your face and your eyes are closing all the time. The other is the digital dermatologist who takes out the zits, and the bags from under your eyes. He can remove all signs of having had a good time.'