How was it working with Andy Serkis as Gollum [a CGI character]? You got fantastic performances from each other.

Thank you, it was a new technique to have to deal with but it was actually very simple, oddly enough. Andy was present as an actor so even though we eventually had to do a take without him and interact with air or look at a marker for Gollum, we had that experience of working with him, and he was so good about creating not only the voice but also the physicality of Gollum, so he made a fully realised character for us.

We've heard a lot about what a wonderful experience it's been, but what didn't you like about filming?

It was hard. We don't often talk about how hard it was do we? It's easier to talk about how good it was. But it was probably the most difficult experience of my life as well, in terms of having to endure the kind of schedule we had to endure. We had 15 or 16 months in New Zealand, we were doing an average of six days a week. You get so lost in that and you become so exhausted that you feel like you've never really known fatigue until that moment. That was the most difficult aspect of making the movie, certainly.

How important are the Oscars to the movies and to you?

It's not massively important. I don't think we really expected to be nominated for [film] one, although it was deserved of a lot of those awards. But we certainly didn't expect it, so this time around we don't. If it does happen, if we do get more nominations, then that would be a bonus.

How does it feel knowing you and the movies are going to be remembered for generations?

I don't know if I have much of a concept of that. I guess it makes sense and I understand that theory but I don't think I'll really be able to grasp that until 10 or 20 years from now when people are still hailing it as a classic.