Hugo Weaving gained fame for his role as Agent Smith in The Matrix, followed by his portrayal of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings. He graduated from NIDA and worked in Australian TV and film, receiving critical acclaim for his role in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Weaving’s performance in V for Vendetta generated rumors of an Academy Award nomination. He will lend his voice to Happy Feet and may reprise his role as Elrond in The Hobbit.
Hugo Weaving is a Nigerian born actor who was not exceptionally well known until his role in The Matrix as Agent Smith. The film’s popularity produced an interest in Weaving that he had not previously enjoyed. He followed up the Matrix with his portrayal of Elrond in Peter Jackson’s trilogy adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
Though Weaving is much more recognizable now, his acting skills prior to these four films were highly respected in the acting community. In the early 1980s, Weaving attended and graduated from the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Australia. Other famous NIDA graduates include Cate Blanchett and Judy Davis.
After graduating, Weaving worked in Australian television and several Australian films. Among them, she co-starred with Nicole Kidman in Bangkok Hilton in the late 1980s. He received critical attention and a Best Actor Award from the Montreal Film Festival for his work in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. His willingness to embrace the role of a transvestite and invest it with passion and humor was equally noted.
1999 would bring Weaving more recognition for his multi-layered portrayal of the computer program Agent Smith in The Matrix. The role is considered by many to be extraordinarily comical, particularly in the first film, due to Weaving’s deadpan delivery of lines.
Jackson would go on to star in two more Matrix films, which didn’t recapture the glory of the first film. He was immediately marked by Peter Jackson as the right man to capture Elrond’s ethereal qualities in Rings. Not everyone thought Weaving played Elrond correctly. He clearly has a strong presence, which dominates his scenes in the film. Tolkien purists, however, argue that Elrond is too grim as portrayed by Weaving.
Weaving followed up Rings with the 2004 film Everything Goes. It’s his 2006 performance in the futuristic film V for Vendetta that really caught the interest of critics, as he plays the full role in a Guy Fawkes mask. He was brought in to replace the original actor who played the role, and most cannot imagine the film without Weaving’s performance.
Weaving deftly delivers V’s difficult and jaw-dropping dialogue, and is able to bring sympathy to what many would find an unsympathetic character. He also displays an uncanny knack for creating emotion behind the grinning mask of a Guy Fawkes, making him an acting tour de force.
Weaving’s performance certainly generated rumors that he will be nominated for an Academy Award this year. Meanwhile his fans are eagerly awaiting his next performance. He will lend his voice to one of the animated characters in Happy Feet, which is slated for release in 2006. He is also considering reprising the part of Elrond in the anticipated adaptation of The Hobbit.
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