Shane ‘Sw1’ Rangi has taken the time to answer some of our questions about the Chronicles of Narnia. He plays the role of General Otmin, the Minotaur that leads the White Witch’s army. He also played the role of the Witch King of Angmar in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, as well as many other roles in those films.
NarniaFans.com: Have you read the Chronicles, and if so, when did you first read them?
Shane Rangi: I have to be honest straight off the bat with this one…. “I’m not the reading type.” I’m more of a magazine pictures man. You know the one… Skip through a mag until you see a picture that catches your eye. Read the little caption underneath it and then stare at the picture in a dreamy state making up my own story. But! The one and only book that I have read word for word without skipping any pages was The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe!!
I was 9 years old, living with my Grandparents in the wop wops (out in the sticks or on a farm miles away from civilization surrounded by bush) going to a school with 25 students.
NarniaFans.com: What are your memories of that?
Shane Rangi: I have a couple of memories that are still close to me as if it was only yesterday. The first was the awe and amazement of Narnia. That magical feeling it gave me whenever I picked it up to read. So real that I could feel the cold chill in the air on my skin.
The Sorrow I felt when Aslan sacrificed himself at the stone table.
The disappointment. Yes. Disappointment I suffered for weeks, actually months, after I had finished the book. Not because I had finished the book and totally used up my reading quota for my lifetime but because every time I went to my Grandmothers huge 5m long by 2m deep wardrobe and crawled through all of her coats and dresses hoping this time I would crawl through to Narnia. Instead I would always crawl into the wall. Every time!!
Oh.. and I have to say I love Turkish Delight :o) Well the NZ version. Chocolate Covered!! Mmmmm Chocolate.
NarniaFans.com: How did you feel when you learned you’d gotten the part of General Otmin?
Shane Rangi: You know, my Agent ( Gail Cowan ;o) ) was more excited than I was!! She sent me through this great email saying Congratulations you are the first Kiwi cast in LWW!! Then phoned me up to say how proud she was of me. I must admit that I had a bit of a smile and did a little dance but I make it a point not to get excited or believe that it’s true until I’m standing on set. That way when they say ‘Actually Shane… we’ve decided to go with someone else’ it doesn’t hurt as bad.
But this time it hit me when I was on the plane flying up to Auckland for my first costume fitting (I didn’t know it at the time but it was also to be a full show and tell for Andrew and the producers ). I was sitting in my seat, 20 min out of Auckland at an Altitude of about 15000 ft (give or take) looking out my window. When I felt myself being nine years out lying on the mat in our classroom at reading time. Feeling the suns rays warming through my woollen jersey and smelling the scent of spring in the air.
I did get excited then!! Man never in a million years would I have thought I was going to be in a film of the only book I have ever read!!
NarniaFans.com: Does Otmin speak in the film and did you supply his voice, if he does?
Shane Rangi: Yes, Otmin does speak and I did do some ADR in Auckland of the lines I did on set. So hopefully when I go and see the film under all the effects it will be my voice. I haven’t heard other wise :o)
NarniaFans.com: What experiences did you have on the set and what will you remember most?
Shane Rangi: Man, thats a toughy. I had soooo many!! My very first day on set was pretty special though. For one I was on set. Wahoo… I made it. It’s real and they didn’t go with anyone else!! Then I got to work with Tilda. I hadn’t even met her and here I was standing beside her about to do a scene with her. I was soooo nervous it wasn’t funny. We were very professional and serious those first three scenes, actually I was just really scared. I was lucky I had Kiran (Who I knew from LOTR) in the scene so I had someone to talk to. Then Tilda and I did this scene between The White Witch and Otmin that I hope makes the behind the scenes dvd. That day to me proved that not only was she a fantastic actress but an amazing person.
Being one of only four Kiwi’s cast in the Film. Patrick Kake (Orieus, Aslans Head Centaur), Judy McIntosh (The Pevensie’s Mother) and Elizabeth Hawthorne (Mrs.Macready). Ooops Five. Mark Wells (Adult King Edmund) was cast at the end.
Um… Stone Table at night ‘What a sight’
Waking up on a November summer’s morning in Castle Hill to Snow!!
Spending a hard day on the battle field with my nemesis Patrick Kake ( Oreius ) then going home and having dinner with him ( we were house mates along with Kiran).
Working with an amazing cast. Georgie, Anna, Skandar, Will, James, Kiran, Patrick, Tilda and have the honor to have their friendship.
Working with Andrew.
Bet you wish you never asked that question huh. Man I have so many I could just go on and on, but I suppose the one I will remember the most though is being cast in my childhood dream Book. Even if I didn’t get to crawl through the wardrobe into Narnia :o)
NarniaFans.com: My friend Jaci would like to know what your favorite breakfast cereal is. She thinks you look like a Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes man.
Shane Rangi: Hahahaha. Unfortunately we didn’t start getting Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes here in New Zealand until about 10 years ago and there are only a couple of places that you can get them from. I would have to say in winter, Hot Porridge with milk and brown sugar. And in Summer, Kellogg’s Just Right.
Our Shane Rangi page here at NarniaFans.com
Our General Otmin page
