SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- There's a reason we crawl before we walk. It's so we don't fall as often, or as hard.
The same logic applies to the physics of Hollywood stardom -- the faster the ascent to fame, the more painful the decline. Conversely, the more gradual the success, the likelier it is that it will be sustained.
All of which may explain, as much as anything, the relative normalcy of Elijah Wood.
At age 28, he is well-adjusted and seemingly unscathed by the prevailing celebrity culture -- neither a train wreck nor a gossip magnet. This despite the fact he is a former child actor, as well as the star of one of the most lauded and profitable franchises in cinema history. Either could have derailed another actor professionally and personally -- or at least made him a fixture on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
"It's such an unenviable thing when that happens," Wood says, reflecting on peers who wind up singed by the spotlight. "It bums me out when I see that happen. There's no training, there's nothing to prepare you for what happens after you become recognizable or part of something that becomes massive quickly.
"I was so lucky to start at a young age and have a real gradual growth. Getting older, the films I was a part of, my responsibilities as an actor grew. There was a gradual growth you wish for everyone because it helps you develop the tools you need for when you become recognizable. Granted, although I was recognizable before Lord of the Rings, nothing can prepare you for that. That was unique.
"But I was also blessed with a family and a sense of being grounded and that had a lot to do with it as well. I was ingrained with a sense of reality. It's always such an unenviable thing when someone comes fresh off the boat and is suddenly in a film that skyrockets. How do you deal with that? The only thing you can do in that situation is keep it in perspective. But you know, as overwhelming as it can be, it's definitely fun and exciting too."
It also doesn't hurt to be, frankly, a bit dull.
"I've managed to not have too much tabloid attention, which is nice and I think it's because I lead a relatively boring existence in regards to what they're interested in. That sort of attention starts to hinder you as an actor because you start to become known for things other than your work. So at the moment, I'm glad that's not the case."
So instead of recounting the trials and tribulations of his private life, on this day Wood is discussing his latest film, entitled 9, which opens Wednesday -- so that its release happens on 09/09/09, get it?
The movie is a computer-animated fantasy about a mechanized ragdoll who awakens mysteriously in a post-apocalyptic landscape overrun by marauding machines and bereft of human beings. In addition to Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer and John. C. Reilly also supply voices in the movie, directed by Shane Acker (based on his own short) and produced by heavyweights Tim Burton and Timbur Bekmambetov (Wanted).
That kind of A-list muscle is needed: Although visually striking, 9 arrives in precarious times. It is not a remake, requel, prequel, sequel or rehash of some 1980s line of action figures. It is an original -- and therefore a risk.
"It's unique and different and it doesn't have a legacy behind it like so many other things," says Wood, who spent three years "tweaking and honing" the titular character he now feels a profound connection to.
That's because his character, 9, despite peer pressure and imminent danger, chooses to question authority and chart his own journey in search of the truth behind humanity's extinction. For Wood, those themes of individuality and self-determination resonated.
"I've always kind of been like that as an actor. Certainly from adolescent to adulthood, as you start to become your own person, I always felt like my choices were distinctly my own. But you own it more as you become older and wiser. You develop your own interests and a clear idea of what it is you're interested in. It's always been important for me to be able to choose -- or to choose when I'm able to -- projects I believe in for pure reasons. So yeah, in regards to the character, finding his own path, it's something I relate to. You run the risk of not being true to yourself and that can have all sorts of adverse effects."
9 also continues Wood's association with all things nerdy -- whether it's Sin City, The Faculty, Deep Impact or the aforementioned Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"All of those stories comment on things we can relate to, and things that are relatable to our existence. They're more than simply good versus evil," Wood says. "They're fantastical, but it's these characters we can relate to. Those kinds of stories have been around since storytelling began. In 9, it's man's lust for power that is his downfall. And it's interesting that people are picking up on the notion in that movie that the human heart and soul can help them rebuild the world that humanity's destroyed."
Given his affection for genre material, it should come as no surprise to learn Wood is now developing a horror movie he hopes to produce -- "I love the horror genre," he says -- while he enjoys a respite from acting. As of now, he doesn't know his next role will be in front of the camera. And he doesn't sound like he's in a terrible hurry. "It's the first long break I've had."
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