When asked if she had to learn archery and swordplay, Lilly said “Yes, she is a warrior. She’s actually the head of the Elven guard. She’s the big shot in the army. So she knows how to wield any weapon, but the primary weapons that she uses are a bow and arrow and two daggers. And she’s lethal and deadly. You definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in a dark alley next to Tauriel.”

She also commented on how much we’ll see the character. “She’s not in the first film very much. She comes into the first film near the end, and has a very small part to play. Her role in the second film is much more involved. Although, I have to say, when I first read the scripts and took the job, she had a lot less going on in the second film. I think the role is becoming a bit more demanding than I had expected it to be. There’s a lot more for me to do now, which is a lot of fun, but it’s a little more pressure.”

Lilly added that she has to go back to New Zealand for five more months of filming.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on December 14 and is followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13, 2013. (source)

Real Steel is the story of a down and out boxing promoter who discovers he has an 11-year old son. Through a discarded robot boxer that the promoter brings back to life, he’s able to connect with his son and make him proud.

There will be two Blu-ray configurations of Real Steel, both of which will include the Blu-ray and DVD editions of the film. The difference is one set will also include a third disc with a digital copy, while the other will not.

Real Steel on Blu-ray will be presented in 1080p video and 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Bonus features are as follows:

Blu-ray Exclusive: Countdown To The Fight: The Charlie Kenton Story
Blu-ray Exclusive: Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ
Blu-ray Exclusive: Audio Commentary With Director Shawn Levy
Blu-ray Exclusive: REAL STEEL Second Screen: Ringside With Director Shawn Levy
Blu-ray Exclusive: Deleted & Extended Scenes — With Introductions By Director Shawn Levy
Bloopers
Making Of Metal Valley
Building The Bots

(source)

I was able to fix the gallery but only by deleting all user accounts since that table was corrupt in the database, so I’m sorry to say that you guys have to re-register again.

Speaking of the gallery – I have added over 180 high res pictures of Evangeline at the Real Steel premiere. Lots more gallery updates to come asap.

Last but not least, be sure to watch Evi’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live below.

• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on October 3rd
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 4th
• Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on October 7th

She’ll be promoting the movie “Real Steel” which premieres on October 7th.

Mark your calendars!

Who still remembers our first layout?

After toiling for six seasons as feisty Kate Austen on Lost, actress Evangeline Lilly ended the first mainstream, long-running acting gig she’d ever had and asked herself the familiar question, “What next?” Always candid about looking for a life outside of acting, Lilly has spent the last year and a half writing, reconnecting with her life and giving birth to her first child. However acting is still beckoning Lilly and she’s taken some choice roles in projects she couldn’t pass up. First up, she co-stars with Hugh Jackman in Real Steel opening in October. And right now, she’s living in New Zealand for the duration of Peter Jackson’s dual Hobbit shoots, playing a newly-created character not from the books – Tauriel the Elf.

SFX got an exclusive chat with Lilly about life after Lost, working with Peter Jackson and bringing The Hobbit to screen.

You’ve been off the media radar for the last year but you’re about to go back into the fray with Real Steel being released. Are you trepidatious or excited?

“Right now I’m sort of holding my breath the same way before Lost went on the air because there’s been this beautiful calm after the storm. I don’t get harassed anymore and generally speaking I can kind of get away with not too much trouble from the paparazzi; a little but not on a large scale. I sort of felt like this is what I was working towards and why I say I’m not going to act anymore – I want this! I want this peace, this normalcy, to visit my family and go for walks on the beach. I’m hoping it lasts because I’m not sure what will happen when Real Steel comes out and The Hobbit comes out. I’m not sure if I’ve just totally f**ked myself.” [Laughs]

Real Steel came around right after the end of Lost. Since you wanted an acting break, what about the film or the character was enticing enough for you to jump into it?

“After Lost and having a character that was so complex, layered, nuanced and constantly running in fear, crying in sorrow or screaming in terror, when I got the script of Real Steel – and was reading Bailey Tallet – one of my prerequisites was that she be someone I could relax into and just do it. I didn’t have to put my heart and soul and guts into it. Bailey is sort of the anchor from which a lot of the story pivots around.”

The grind of one-hour TV is what wipes out most people, so going into a film right after Lost, was the experience very different?

“With Real Steel, I was so focused on what I was doing outside work and being so excited to be finished with Lost. I was spending a lot of time in Africa and my focus wasn’t so much on Bailey’s back-story or learning about boxing as much as it was my work outside of the film. I was sort of like a day player in that I came in and gave everything I had every day I was there and committed on set. When I was home, I focused on the other things in my life.”

Now you’re in New Zealand filming The Hobbit with Peter Jackson. It’s a long commitment which would make some actors balk. Was that a concern?

“I will be in and out of New Zealand for the course of a year. It worked out well. For a lot of actors, being that tied down would be problematic for their careers because they wouldn’t have the freedom to take any other part in the meantime. For me it’s perfect because I want to have time to spend with my family and relax and focus on my writing. This role gives me a framework within which to do that because I’m not working all the time but I’m working enough. When you’re not working at all, you get lost in space and time and don’t accomplish anything. It’s a flexible work environment and I don’t have to be estranged from my family.”

When you played Kate you were always doing physical scenes and stunts. How are you prepping for The Hobbit?

“With every film, you have to educate yourself on the material and it’s often things you don’t know a lot about. Right now I’m studying Elvish and having conversations with people about learning how to be an archer, a swordsperson and how to fight like an elf instead of a gritty convict.” [Laughs]

Did you have any reservations about joining The Hobbit cast?

“With The Hobbit, it was a no-brainer because I have been a fan of those books since I was 13-years-old.”

Being a fan of the books, what did you make of Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy and all the changes he made to the story?

“When the original came out in theatres, I swore up and down that I would not see them because I thought it was sacrilege that anyone would adapt Tolkien’s work. I didn’t think anyone would justify films by making them as good as they should be. Then my entire family when I was visiting went to see the movie and so I relented and went. We were all fans of the books and we were all blown away! It was a little piece of magic what Peter Jackson accomplished because it was truly a homage to the books rather than an offense.”

Tauriel is a new character in the mythology so as a book purist yourself that must be frightening to ponder how fans will react to your part?

“Yeah! I am very concerned to this day that people will watch the film and I’ll be the black mark on the film. I know how adamant the purists are and I’m one of them! That said, upon reading The Hobbit again, as an adult, I can see why additional characters were needed to round out the story as an adaptation – especially female characters! The Hobbit didn’t include female characters at all and was a very linear story, a book for children, really. What Peter, Fran (Walsh) and Philippa (Boyens) have done is all in perfect keeping with Tolkien’s world, while adding a third dimension to an otherwise very two-dimensional story.”

Real Steel opens in the UK on 14 October 2011.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens 14 December 2012. (source)

In terms of Evangeline news, looks like she’s getting ready to start shooting The Hobbit seeing as she was spotted in New Zealand recently. Maybe we’ll get some news soon. *fingers crossed*