Craig Parker Online / What’s Up Doc?

Craig Parker Online

Craig Parker is a wanted man, thanks to his part as elf Haldir in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Log on to www.craig-parker.net and see for yourself. Fans from around the world worship him but he’s not fazed.

“It’s very flattering but one needs to take it with a grain of salt. It’s about an amazing film that people love and an amazing story that people love. It’s about being involved in that.”

Dressing up, castles, battle scenes and fantasy. It was an opportunity he wouldn’t miss, he says.

However, Craig wasn’t as enthusiastic about being blonde. “I don’t think I suit blonde, but the wigs were these spectacular things which were $15,000 worth of human hair. I was always aware that if I fell over and damaged the wig, it cost a lot more than I did.”

Despite his popularity, Craig says he’s not desperate to follow the likes of Martin Henderson to Hollywood.

“Maybe at some stage but I’m quite lazy in that I love my life here. I have a very good time in New Zealand and I work pretty much when I want to work and make a good living. And my friends are here. I have no great desire to spend three years starving in London or Los Angeles.”

What’s Up Doc?

The on-screen antics of Mercy Peak characters Dr William Kingsley (Jeffrey Thomas) and his son Alistair Kingsley (Craig Parker) prove that even medical practitioners require the odd check-up. TV Guide gave the actors who play the father-and-son duo a therapy session.

Tell us about William’s relationship with Alistair.
Jeffrey: “They can just turn on each other in an instant. They are very well tuned into each other and yet there’s a lot they don’t know about each other. They are pretty close, they just don’t let it show very often. They are a bit like the odd couple and they do find it hard to live with each other.”

What about Alistair’s relationship with William?
Craig: “William’s old school. He has to know exactly what’s going on and be above the game the whole time and that’s the infuriating thing about him.”

Do they communicate well?
Jeffrey: “I think William should talk to Alistair- communicate more with him. They back off from each other. I think he should just talk to him and tell him what’s on his mind. He’s quite keen to tell other people to speak their minds but at times, particularly with Alistair, he bites his lip and lets things go.”
Craig: “They have moments of revolution where Alistair and William battle and then they have moments of resolution where you think, ‘oh, they are OK now’ and then something will trigger them. They know each other so well and there are enough similarities that they piss each other off.”

Do your characters cope with their relationships with women?
Jeffrey: “I think William handles love as well as anybody could.”
Craig: “Where there’s love, there’s always heartbreak. A few tears, a few drunken nights.”

Craig, is your relationship with your real dad like Alistair and William?
Craig: “It’s quite different from their relationship, thank God. We have a very good one, we don’t battle, there’s no locking of horns. He’s not a control freak in any way. He’s a lovely, funny man. I think he’s given up on having any control in my life. He just goes, ‘Oh God, make your own mistakes.”

Jeffrey, does William consider himself a good dad?
Jeffrey: “I think he feels he could have done it better, that he probably spent less time in his role as a parent than he wishes because he was busy doing other things like work and council business. I think William does have a sense of regret there.

Do the pair of you get on in real life?
Jeffrey: “He’s awful. He’s the most obnoxious person in the world. I really despise him. I hate the ground he walks on. And now for the truth: we seem to get on pretty well actually. After a days filming, I give him a lift home and we talk about things that have happened during the day and we have a good laugh. There’s something quite lovable about Craig.”
Craig: “He’s a very easy man to talk with. He’s got a very dry humour which I love. I would prod him and we would have this ‘let’s see how far we can push the other.’ He just keeps going. He’s a very patient gentleman. But he loves playing golf and I think golf is the most boring game in the world so we have conflict there.”