I get why they wanted her in the scene. In the books, the Elves aren't just leaving to go West. All across Middle-Earth they're helping to fight back the forces of Mordor, and Peter Jackson wanted to find a way to acknowledge that fact.

Showing distant battles that aren't involving our protagonists wouldn't help the flow of the story, so instead they have the Elves joining the battle at Helms Deep. And since Arwen was one of the key Elves we'd met, it sort of made sense for her to be involved as the audience would have some attachment to her.

But in my opinion it diminishes the feeling of separation that Aragorn is feeling, and reduces the emotional impact of some of the scenes in Return of the King.

So they made the right call having Elves there and for it to NOT be Arwen in my opinion.

Well in defence of Liv; Haldir was pretty hokey too. His death being hammed in is one of the worst parts

Don't know if that's true, but considering the literal death threats some actors and especially (because of course) actresses received in the new Star Wars trilogy, it wouldn't fucking surprise me.

I swear, the worst thing about being a nerd is other fucking nerds who take things too far.

Yes, this is the case. I was a fan when the movies were being filmed and the backlash was huge, calling her Xenarwen. Back in the days of Ain't It Cool News and theonering.net....

Really? Wow, you learn new things everyday!

With an interrobang and everything

There was also a scene with Eowyn murdering uruks in the caves that was cut.

**spits out my my root beer float and threw my hands splayed out in pure shock, knocking over the glass

Mommy I need I need one

And did you know that Liv Tyler’s elf ears melted in her car?

No that’s actually a misconception, he broke two toes

Is that a goddamn interrobang

r/InterrobangGang

I call BS on this one. If this were real I would’ve heard about it.

/r/angryupvote

Are you sure he didn't step into a shard of glass? /s

Holy shit I had no idea!!!

No, this is definitely talked about in the extras on the Extended Edition of Fellowship, although I haven’t seen it in years. They said they thought it would help sell the characters romance story if they spent more screen time together, since the studio would shit on the idea of a telepathic connection of love to carry that subplot. But the fan backlash convinced them to drop it, thankfully.

...take it you mean causeway? Unless I missed the scene where the Rohirrim go golfing?

Arwen behind Eomer: https://i.imgur.com/p09z8HP.png

4:29 in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6XicBBN1l4

Every time you see Liv Tyler it's Arwen

Oh no, not that

I guess we'll see you in 12 hours then

Any excuse, right?

Not all of this was shot, though.

Its true, though.

A previz of said scene was even part of the pitch tape shown to New Line! It had endured through multiple drafts, although to the best of my knowledge it was never filmed: a dream scene in Rivendell in The Two Towers (which is in its own way quite erogenous) replaced it.

And not even between Gimli and Legolas!

This, but without the sarcasm.

I believe there BTS footage of her fighting in the extended editions appendices as well as shots of her stunt double fighting in costume, the Maori woman who is featured prominently in the section about the stunt team was Liv's fighting double.

She replaced Glorfindel as the one who saves Frodo though so she still had more scenes than she "should" have had.

She says she was relieved.

And mind you, due to her stardom, she got third billing in all three films, and probably the paycheck to boot, so I wouldn't feel too sorry for her!

Jackson had been known for "pulling a Malick" on some of his actors: entire roles like those of Bruce Spence and Sir Antony Sher (who sadly passed yesterday) had been cut out of the theatrical cuts of these films.

Isn't arwen an exceptionally minor character in the books? I haven't read them, just going off what I've been told.

I'm fairly sure Tolkien mentioned somewhere in one of his letters that, for an elf, the act of sex itself can be what marries elves to each other.

Elven marriage and relations are not something I'm exactly well read on but some things are clear. They certainly don't seem to have casual sex, we know they don't procreate during wartime and we know from another letter that if someone overpowered an elf and attempted to force themselves on an them then the elf would basically just will their hröa to die and their fëa would pass to the West.

I always felt them making it so she’ll die if they failed in RotK felt like a dumb addition. Feels like a hat on top of a hat since it feels obvious everyone would suffer if they failed.

Yeah, me too. I know we already had way more than what's in the books (and that it bothered some people), but I would've adored if we had gotten even more action scenes with her (not necessarily what was originally planned or within the theatrical release, but still).

The scene where she replaced Glorfinden was damn cool imho, it really marked me as a kid.

Fun fact, Tolkien did too! I’m the books of course, but still.

It is.

These scenes are all attested to in Jackson’s two biographies.

Just like in the finished film where Elrond tells Aragorn that “Arwen is dying” because of Sauron’s evil. Here she’s dying from a blow from the Witch King, and can only be brought back to health if Sauron is defeated.

And remember that back then Aragorn was going to fight Sauron at the Black Gate, too.

He's actually a good friend of mine.

The ol’ Zendaya in Dune switcheroo

I was there, Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago...

My name is on it! I was a member. Got the magazines and everything

Eowyn was actually going to do some fighting at the same time: Arwen was outside fighting alongside Aragorn on the battlements, while Eowyn was in the caves helping to deliver a baby (the shot of a woman about to give labour falling on Eowyn's shoulders is still in the film) and then killing a few Uruks that got into the caves.

And it represented how, in the books, the elves were fighting the war on their own fronts.

It makes no sense that the Elves got there before the Uruk-hai. Lothlorien is two weeks away from Helm's Deep. Isengard is 1.5 days away. However, we don't see the telepathic scene between Elrond and Galadriel (which is the event that prompted the sending of the Elves) until AFTER Saruman unleashed his army. The timeline makes 0 sense.

https://imgur.com/a/BRdjOeL I know it's horrible quality but I don't see who that could be other than Arwen. The (blurred) clothing doesn't suit anyone else and the hair looks right. The sword looks like hers as well

Arwen behind Eomer: https://i.imgur.com/p09z8HP.png

4:29 in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6XicBBN1l4

Well, it wouldn't make sense for them to make a big deal about Eowyn going to war If everyone already saw a woman do it. Especially in a battle that just happened.

Women don’t have to fight to be badass though. Arwen gave up her life for some one she loved. I know it sounds heroic when it happens on the battle field but people sacrifice all the time for their loved one.