Stephen Colbert is a "Tolkien Geek", says Peter Jackson

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Peter Jackson made the statement,

“I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life,” Jackson says. “Philippa Boyens is our resident Tolkien expert, and when Stephen came down to visit the set, we put him head to head with Philippa on a Tolkien quiz—and Stephen triumphed. I have to say, his encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien is spectacular, and points to a deprived childhood in some respects.”

This is no surprise to fans of the Colbert Report. Colbert has made many references and jokes regarding his beloved Tolkien universe on his Comedy Network show, The Colbert Report. During one interview with Elijah Wood, they compared notes on the (then) upcoming Hobbit movie. This is where we also learned of Colbert’s trip to New Zealand and meeting with Peter Jackson.

Who could forget the epic “Who’s the bigger Lord of the Rings fan” battle between Colbert and James Franco?

On the John Stewart show in 2001, Colbert’s “Geek-ness” was confirmed during an interview with Elijah Wood where Stewart asks Wood a knowledgeable Lord of the Rings question pretending to be from him. Later in the interview, Stewart would admit that the question was prepared by Colbert. (question starts at two minutes into the interview)

Of course, it has already been confirmed that Colbert will appear in the new Peter Jackson movie, The Hobbit.

“I flew out and watched them shoot some scenes and went to some locations,” he said. “I saw a 25-minute cut, and it was amazing. Jackson knows I’m a big fan of the films.” – Colbert

It isn’t known what kind of role Colbert will have in the film, but all Tolkien fans can imagine the thrill it must have been for him to live out such a dream!

You can read the complete interview at EW.com here.

Follow Steve “Rifflo” Fitch on TWITTER: @HobbitSteve