When Elijah Wood was a Beastie Boy: Actor Calls it Most ‘Incredible Moment of My Life’
For longtime Beastie Boys fans Elijah Wood, playing a young Ad Rock in last year’s “Fight For Your Right (Revisited)” video was “a dream come true.”
“I think all of us kind of grew up imagining what it would be like to rap in front of a fisheye lens,” the actor and occasional DJ tells Spinner of the experience. “And I got to do that!”
Wood, perhaps best known for playing Frodo in the Lord of the Rings films, says that he was thrilled to be asked to star in the epic 30-minute video that pits the young Beastie Boys (Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogan) against their future selves (Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly).
“I just about lost it, I was so excited,” says Wood, temporarily sidetracked from talking about the official reason for this interview, his recently released vinyl box set. “I’m such a huge fan. I grew up listening to the Beastie Boys. It’s, like, part of the soundtrack of my youth. So I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.”
Being on the star-studded set with so many fellow Beasties fans, including Susan Sarandon, Will Arnett, Rashida Jones, Steve Buscemi, Amy Poehler and Rainn Wilson, and being directed by the late, great Adam “MCA” Yauch definitely lived up to any and all expectations.
“It was such a gift, that experience,” says Wood. “I think everyone involved felt the same way. We all grew up listening to those guys and they had such a huge influence on our lives. And to get a chance to spend a little bit of time with Adam and get to know him briefly, that was a gift as well. It was a really beautiful, awesome experience.”
In a storied career that has included starring in massive blockbusters like Sin City and Deep Impact and critically acclaimed films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — not to mention conquering Sauron — appearing in front of that fisheye lens remains a highlight for Wood.
“It’s one of those moments in your life that you never, ever think will happen,” he recalls. “And there I was with Yauch directing me, after every take going ‘Good shit. Good shit.’ It was the most surreal, incredible moment of my life. It was awesome.”