Few days ago Evangeline Lilly, aka Tauriel in The Hobbit trilogy, invited her fans to ask her questions during an AMA on Reddit.

Really excited to be back after my first AMA last year. I’ve just written The Squickerwonkers – my first ever children’s book and I think you’ll love it if you check it out. Looking forward to your questions. Victoria’s gonna be helping me get started today. AMA!

Here is a selection of Hobbit-related Q&As, but you can read all the questions asked (and Evangeline’s answers) on Reddit.

parmaser: How do you feel about the creation of Tauriel? Tolkien had zero female characters in the novel so this role must have been pretty special for you. On a side note, just how cool was learning elvish??

Evangeline Lilly: I LOVE elvish. I wish I was fluent. Yes, Tolkien was writing the Hobbit in the 1930s. He’s forgiven. But, Peter was making his films in 2014…not so forgivable if you exclude women from stories now.

blahdenfreude: Evangeline! Would you rather fight one polar bear sized hobbit, or one hundred hobbit sized polar bears?

EL: Haha! Hmmm…one polar bear sized hobbit. Numbers scare me. Size, not so much.

Mbizzle135: […] How did you feel filling the shoes of an original character not seen in The Hobbit books? Personally I’d have liked to see your character fleshed out a little more and really enjoyed the dynamic between two different Elven races, that almost magnanimous vibe you got from all your confrontations with other Elves. Also, what was the reaction like from fans? […]

EL: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I would also have loved to see Tauriel more flushed out, but I am glad that Peter showed restraint and kept the Elves from being too prominent in the film. The book was about the dwarves and Bilbo and, as a fan, I really wanted to see more of them. […]

perdur: Hi Evangeline! I’m a huge fan of your most “controversial” characters (Kate and Tauriel). What’s it like to see fans so divided over your roles? P.S. I’ve seen you defend Tauriel quite often in Hobbit interviews and I’m so glad you’re sticking up for her – we need more kickass women who stand up for themselves, both in Hollywood and in Middle-earth!

EL: First, thank you for the encouragement! Second, I tend to ignore the controversy. Controversy is firstly good and secondly inevitable in my profession. I’ve even heard people knocking Meryl Streep! I’m mean, if she’s not safe, who is! But I just like passion and discourse so, I think the controversy is good.

Harryboii: What is it like working with lee pace?

EL: I have a friend crush on Lee. He’s the best. And such a formidable talent to work with.

Paguban: Regarding The Hobbit, what was your most challenging scene to film? And why? Did you love being Tauriel? […]

EL: Emotion was really challenging while playing Tauriel. How do Elves emote? (I LOVED playing her. I love the challenge.)

Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions. Running off to a fitting for the upcoming BOFA press tour and the remainder of The Squickerwonker press tour. Lots and lots of love. xoxoxHi guys!

You can read the whole AMA here.

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Author: Alice Greenleaf The Pinterest Manager and Staff Reporter of Middle-earth News. Alice discovered Tolkien’s world when she was 12 years old and watched The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. It was love at the first sight. When not at her desk looking for something Middle-earth related or studying, you'll probably find her whispering spells, just to be prepared when she'll receive her Hogwarts Acceptance Letter.