Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, creator of the epic trilogy ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ explained his long absence from feature films in a rare address to fans. He cited the death of his longtime cinematographer and close friend Andrew Lesnie as the main reason for his hiatus. In a special introduction currently being shown in cinemas before screenings of the re-released Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Jackson admitted that Lesni’s passing in 2015 was a devastating blow that changed his creative trajectory. “It was a terrible blow for me to lose Andrew. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but looking back, I realize that I avoided shooting feature films because I would have had to work with someone who wasn’t Andrew. I think his death changed my creative path. As a result, I haven’t made any dramatic films for 11 or 12 years because I would have had to build a relationship with another cinematographer,” said the director. Jackson explained that after Lesni’s death, he turned to documentary filmmaking, where he could work with archival footage: first, he made the film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) about the First World War, and then the three-part project The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert (2021).
Director Peter Jackson explained his reluctance to make films.
