Liv Tyler plays Arwen, the Elf princess who falls in love with the mortal human Aragorn. Sadly, her kind are doomed. Gladly, Liv will live on for many years to come.

Interview in NYC by Kathleen Mantel Liv photographed in NYC by Bryce Pincharn

She is the reason many people who haven't heard of The Lord of the Rings will flock to see the film. She is lovely, she is luminous, she is Liv.

With a life story that reads like a Hollywood screenplay, Liv Tyler is undoubtedly a star. However, as cliched as it sounds, Tyler is surprisingly down to earth. She likes to shop and eat in good restaurants but shuns many of the parties and perks of Hollywood, preferring instead to hang out at home with friends and family.

At the age of 25, Tyler has an otherworldliness about her that makes her perfect for the role of the horse riding, sword wielding Elf princess Arwen in LOTR trilogy. "We wanted to find someone who could play an elfen character who has basically got to be beautiful and gorgeous and slightly ethereal," director Peter Jackson explains; "someone a little bit removed from the human race because of their beauty and their elegance."

Elves are noble and magical beings, immortals who do not age and are not subject to disease but can be slain or die of grief. The elves are entering their final stages as a race in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first installment of LOTR, and there is an underlying sadness and an uncertainty amongst them. In the story, there is a sense that the times are changing. Men are starting to inhabit Middle-earth to a greater degree and the elves understand that their race will soon become little more than a memory.

Like the rest of the cast, Tyler went through rigorous physical training for her role as Arwen. She was tutored in the ancient art of sword fighting, horse riding, elven deportment and even elven dialect, since Tolkien was fascinated by language, scattering LOTR with the poetry and songs of many creatures. And as Arwen, Tyler wore elf ears fixed to her own ears. "It's not painful when they're on but to get them off is painful," she recalls, wincing at the memory. "They're put on with glue and witch hazel and all this other stuff and then airbrushed. They took an hour to put on. just the ears! Having them taken off everyday, skin ripping off your ears, really hurt."

PAVEMENT. How familiar were you with LOTR before you became involved in the project?

LIV TYLER: I didn't know much actually, other than being in school and hearing boys talk about it, It was amazing to be able to discover a whole new world and to arrive in New Zealand, where they had already spent so much time designing sets and characters and creatures and effects, and then to step into the world and see everything come to life immediately after reading it.

P: How was it for you to arrive in the midst of what was ostenibly- a boys' club?

LIV TYLER: When I arrived, the boys had all been there for a month, so it was weird. Well, it wasn't weird but they had already established this really intense bond and I was immediately invited into that and treated with extra nice boy treatment. But, you know, just by the nature of who their characters are, all being part of the fellowship, it was important that they all had that bond together.

P: How did their bond and enthusiasm for the project last?

LT. They were all pretty steady. I felt like I went through a range of moods and emotions. Or maybe I just didn't see it in them because they were so dedicated and they didn't have a choice. It was definitely a struggle and they were really into it. I suffered a bit more within myself being away from home for so long and being that involved in something. And maybe it was the boy thing but they really took everything on in a beautiful way.

P: How was it different working in New Zealand on a film?

LT. I don't think it could have been shot anywhere else. I mean, the land is so beautiful and so rich and so untouched in a way I had never seen. To me, I always felt it was Middle-earth and everything I saw in my mind came to life and it was even more spectacular. There was also a real sense of excitement from all the people. They never shunned us in any way and they were just really happy that we were there, and proud. We took over all of Wellington, every warehouse and every big building, and I just got a feeling that they really supported the film. And they were such a big part of it too.

P: What was Peter Jackson like as a director?

LT. The thing that impressed me most about Peter was that he never once lost his cool in any way or his dedication to the project. I mean, it was pretty amazing when you think how many years he was involved and there wasn't a spare moment in the day, even when he went home at night. And he still managed to raise his beautiful children and be with his wife. I was really impressed with that, that he could take on so much and you'd never see him sweat. He was always calm, always focused and he always had the film and the book's best interest at heart. And there was never a question of that with him, you know. It all came from his soul. I think that's how it was with everyone.

P: What kind of qualities does an elf princess have?

LT- Arwen's very full of love and hope at a time when everything is at risk because the elves are planning to move into their next stage in life and become a memory. It was hard being an elf because there's nothing human about them in any way. To play a character that's 3000 years old has so much strength. There was a lot of pressure. Elves never sulk or relax. They're always perfect and aware and that was definitely challenging to take on. And also to look natural and believable. They walk in a stiff, weird way. It was interesting as an actor to play that role and to also be passionate and believable.

P: What attracts your character to Strider/Aragorn?

LT- It's hard to describe because it's such a powerful passion, a classic love story. These two people, against all odds. You know, one's mortal, one's immortal, and they're completely separate in everything and they come together and try to make that love work. There's a lot of sacrificing.

P: Is there a love scene?

LT: Humping elves? [laughs]

P: How do you compare the experience of working on a film like LOTR to a film like Armageddon?

LT: They are completely different films, though they are the larger films I've done. I don't always do so well in those experiences. It's hard for me. I tend to prefer the smaller experiences but it's important for me to adapt. The confusing thing and the amazing thing is that although it's one of the biggest movies ever made financially and scope-wise, it felt like one of the small independent films that I've done. We were in New Zealand. There wasn't all those Hollywood perks, by any means. You know, the big trailers and fancy lunches. That stuff just didn't exist. Even the studio wasn't a studio. It was a converted warehouse underneath the airport, so planes went by all the time and there was no heating and no air-conditioning. The conditions were intense. Wellington is a very intense place, weather-wise. It's very windy and rainy but also really magical.

P: What did you do while you were living in New Zealand?

LT- I shopped at Zambesi. Weekly. What did we do? We worked a lot and if we weren't working, we were horseback riding and sword fighting and having fittings and working with dialect coaches. And that part of it was very full-on. I'm not the most sporty person, so I didn't go bungi jumping and stuff like that. The boys did. I swain in the sea once, which was unbelievably freezing cold, and laid on the rocks like a beached whale. It's weird because the sun is so strong but the air can be so cold, so if you're in the shade for a moment, it would be freezing. Sometimes in the morning, the crew would have snow gear on, like hats and scarves, and then by lunch they'd be standing in tank tops and shorts. It's a really interesting climate.

P: How do you think your ambitions in Hollywood have changed over the years?

LT- As an adult, I can see more what I'm looking for and what I'm interested in. But it's just my nature as a person to not be that interested in the celebrity perks. I mean, yes, I like to go to nice restaurants and go shopping and stuff. But for me, I feel better when I'm With my friends and with my loved ones at home. When I'm working, I'm working, and all I want to do at the end of the day is go home. And maybe that was the difference between me and the boys on the film. They all lived there for a year and a didn't come home for Christmas and it. For me, although I was committed and it was a very special project, I was working and then I wanted to go home.

P: How do you feel about the themes of good and evil in the film in relation to what is happening in the world at the moment?

LT- It's a timely piece. I mean, it's about all the different creatures and races of the world coming together in love and friendship to fight so-called evil, so it is quite relevant. It's an uncertain time in the book, with so many things changing. The elves are going to disappear from the face of Middle-earth completely and the hobbits don't know what's happening to them. The idea of love conquering all and strength, all those ideas that are in the book, are definitely things we need to be thinking about right now.

P: How do you think the reaction from cult fans of the books will affect you and the other cast members when it comes out?

LT- I don't know what's going to happen. When I walk down the street now, most people recognize me and I just keep going. But I live in New York and it's kind of normal in my neighborhood. When a movie comes out, it tends to get a little worse. I'm not going to know until it comes out. I'm in a weird bubble, you know, because I'm me. I live a very normal life and I do all the same things that everybody else does, yet I get a package once a week with an Arwen doll in it that I have to approve, and its weird. I love to hear things but I don't really hear about stuff a lot. I don't really look at the websites. I've tried to look at the website a couple of times but I couldn't figure it out. I have no going to happen until it happens. I'm excited.

P: Did you request any changes to your Arwen doll?

LT- Yeah. You have to make a lot of changes to the doll. It's a hard thing to do.
P: 'What did you ask for? Longer lets? Shinier hair?

LT. No. It's more about the facial structures right. Elijah and I were the the hardest characters to do, I think, because we we're very young and have flat skin and we don't have wrinkles yet. When you have more character to your face, it's easier to incorporate that stuff. Its hard because it can't ever look exactly like you but it can, kind of. It's really weird. I got one the other day and it was the first Barbie-sized one and the first thing I did was take all its clothes off, like you do when you're a kid.

P: Are you anatomically correct?

LT. The boobs were pretty good. They were bigger than mine. But then I couldn't get the clothes back on. That was my one change. The hand was too big and I couldn't get the dress back on. So I had to send the Arwen doll back in the box naked to New Line. I called to say, "Look, I'm really sorry. I'm not weird but I couldn't get the dress back on."