John Rhys-Davies & Lawrence Makoare | Lord of the Rings Q&A (Full Panel) | Big Texas Comic Con 2025

Recorded live at Big Texas Comic Con in San Antonio (Oct 17–19, 2025). John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) and Lawrence Makoare (Lurtz/Witch-king) share candid stories from The Lord of the Rings—from prosthetics and teeth tricks to stunt coordination, set bruises, and lines fans still quote. Makoare talks about starting as a road worker, discovering acting, wearing full prosthetics, and enduring marathon makeup sessions for key scenes. Rhys-Davies reflects on fan connections, New Zealand’s striking locations, and how books and education shaped his views. They touch on Māori culture, wood carving, the “Find the Halflings” gag, working with the effects team (shout-out to Gino Acevedo), and the difference between New Zealand’s North and South Islands. There’s thoughtful discussion on the future of film and AI, plus advice for students and young creatives. Auto-captions were corrected for names and clarity; occasional paraphrasing fixes machine-transcription errors. Filmed by Tales From The Collection.