Whoa, what a cool fun fact! I better bring that one up next time I’m watching LOTR with people.
Go visit the South Island and virtually every local has stories about the filming of LotR. A huge number of them were hired by the production in one way or another, from being extras to providing horses to helping dress all those extras & horses to catering all those people etc.
I love this totally sincere reply to a completely insincere joke. I would love to visit New Zealand for a lot of reasons.
I’m headed there this summer and have asked the NZ Tourism Board if I can leave a plaque on the hill.