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Elijah Wood - On Elijah

Here is what some of Elijahs co stars and directors thought about him.....

"He's very passionate about music. I think we had one band in common, The Strokes. I went shopping with him and he helped me pick out some Nirvana and The Avalanches that I'd never heard before." Mandy Moore

"We were blessed with this cast. Elijah is one of today's finest actors and Paul Hogan as crusty Uncle Porter brings a level of humor and warmth to the story which is sure to delight audiences. If not for these two, I wouldn't have been able to see the script realized. I wrote stuff in there which I never thought we could accomplish" -- Director Alan Shapiro, "Flipper"

"Elijah Wood is the perfect Sandy. We needed a seasoned young actor who could portray a complicated character. Sandy has tremendous movement in his character. He goes from spoiled urban city kid with a chip on his shoulder to a kid who, through his contact with a dolphin, learns about life and begins to bridge into adulthood." -- Producer Perry Katz

"He's more experienced than some adults I've worked with. The good news is he's a normal kid." -- Actor Paul Hogan, USA Today, August 21, 1995

"...his professionalism, his intelligence and his talent are singular. There's no one like him, period." -- Director Jon Avnet, "The War"

"He's incredibly professional and very responsive to direction. He's more than a great kid, he's a great person." -- Director Jon Avnet, on Prodigy

He's the first child actor I've worked with that I think is really an ACTOR. He's not tied to his cuteness." -- Director Jon Avnet, Entertainment Weekly, November 25, 1994

"He took the challenge to really act. This is a tough role. Elijah's a pretty happy kid, and he had to go out there and experience emotions that are pretty ugly. He wanted to be pushed, and I pushed him like crazy. The difficulty he had trying to find all of that pain Stu feels, I think, translates onto the screen and to the way you react to him." -- Director Jon Avnet, Boston Globe, October 30, 1994

"It's amazing. I do believe that Elijah has an extraordinary talent that will, in fact, carry him through 30, 40 years. He really is a star of the future. And he's a nice guy. He's like a prodigy in a way. You know, I've worked with a lot of other young actors, and it's difficult to get a good performance at times. You have to be very careful...and help them along and spoon-feed them. But with Elijah, that's not the case. I mean, he really comes to the part full-blown. You give him a little tiny adjustment in a scene, and he takes it as if he's been acting 30 or 40 years." -- Director Rob Reiner, "North"

"He doesn't sacrifice his heart or his being a kid. He's got a long career in front of him." -- Actor John Ritter, "North"

"He's like a little man inside a boy's body. One minute he can be playing and the next minute he's doing his close-up and he's just as believable as anything." -- Actress Faith Ford, "North"

"Elijah has such a wonderful face and such a winning way about him. You look at him and you just like the kid. I thought this movie was going to be a kind of nightmare, directing two twelve- year-olds, but both Mack and Elijah are ACTORS. They concentrate, they stay focused, they're not like kids in that respect." -- Director Joseph Ruben, "The Good Son"

"He's just really quick. Elijah can give you the same reading or different readings with a lot of facility." -- Director Joseph Ruben, Entertainment Weekly, November 25, 1994

"[Elijah has] an innate understanding of the characters he plays." -- Executive Producer Daniel Rogosin, "The Good Son", USA Today, April 2, 1993

"He IS Huck. Elijah has previously played shy and introverted kids. But when I met him, his energy knocked me out..." -- Director Stephen Sommers, "The Adventures of Huck Finn"

"Elijah's just a natural. You never get him going over the top.... He gets up, takes a deep breath and there's 100% energy...When the camera starts rolling, he's LIVING that scene. I'm talking like he's Marlon Brando, but he blew my socks off." -- Director Stephen Sommers, USA Today April 2,1993

"It is a very infectious enthusiasm that Elijah exudes, and it contributed a great deal to his performance. Elijah is a high-energy boy who cares a great deal about other people..." -- Producer Laurence Mark, "The Adventures of Huck Finn"

"Elijah's feet are firmly on the ground. And he is just so professional. If anyone had problems remembering lines, it wasn't Elijah." -- Actor Courteny B. Vance, "The Adventures of Huck Finn"

"Every once in a while a kid comes along who 'gets it'--who really understands about doing a scene and can act even though he doesn't appear to be acting." -- Director Steve Miner, "Forever Young"

"Elijah seems to have knowledge beyond his years for executing his job. He's professional and extremely talented. He offers his own thing and before you know it he's kind of borrowing bits and pieces. He's a bright and unspoiled kid." -- Actor Mel Gibson, "Forever Young"

"I was very surprised how drawn to Elijah and Robert [Gorman] I became and how, out of everybody here, the person I'm closest too is Elijah. That's been a really terrific feeling." -- Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, "Forever Young"

"Working with Elijah was quite amazing. He's a very intelligent 10-year-old. He instantly grasps what is being demanded of him, and contributed enormously to each scene." -- Actor Don Johnson, "Paradise"

"Elijah is an amazing actor, and a true sweetheart." -- Actress Melanie Griffith, "Paradise"

"When we got Elijah and Joey together, I just looked at Lauren and said 'Stop right now', because we'd found what we were looking for. The chemistry was simply phenomenal. It grew and developed throughout the picture. They became like real brothers -- the teasing, the loving, the pain, the happiness. They would antagonize each other like brothers do, but let something try to come between them and you would see the incredibly strong bond there. They're two of the most amazing actors I've ever worked with. I spoke with Barry Levinson, who had just finished 'Avalon' and could not stop raving about this child. He showed me some footage on Elijah and, when I met him, I knew he would be wonderful in the role." -- Director Richard Donner, "Radio Flyer"

"Elijah has a sense of assuredness without taking himself overly seriously. He has a wonderful sense of humor." -- Producer Lauren Schuler-Donner, "Radio Flyer"

"He is an extraordinary kid and a great little actor. I really want to watch how he grows and where he goes. He'll probably own Hollywood!" -- Actress Delta Burke, "Dayo"