“It became clear after a comprehensive round of design and prosthetic prototyping that Peter, Fran and Philippa saw Thorin as being very handsome and noble, but in an unpretentious way. Our prosthetic work evolved to become very subtle, in some places only half a millimetre thick. This served to enhance and refine actor Richard Armitages own features towards that refined nobility rather than impose a new look upon him, and included subtly straightening his nose and refining his brow”. - Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop Design & Special Effects Supervisor
“We put a lot of thought into Thorin, and his arrival in the movie is built up by the other Dwarves as they await his appearance at Bag End. There is an awe and reverence that surrounds him. He is very strong and slightly scary, but also hypnotic and charismatic. Thorin is the leader, a king among his people and the Dwarf upon whose shoulders the future and hopes of his people rests. We went through a number of iterations before we settled upon his final make-up, which consisted of a thin forehead and nose, wig and ears.
Thorin’s nose was Romanesque, which imparted a sense of nobility. His wig was also entirely composed of human hair, without any yak, which we used to add body to some of the other Dwarves. That allowed it to flow and move more romantically. For the same reason, Thorin’s beard ended up clipped quite close, to preserve his more refined appearance and not hide the actor under a full face of hair. It was important that people understand and relate to Thorin, so we didn’t want to build a wall of hair in front of him that would impede that in any way”. - Peter King, Make-up and Hair Designer
“Early on in the shaping of Thorin’s look, we had some quite extreme prosthetics and elaborate beard designs. I was very pleased with the effect, which was such a transformation. I looked like another being – older, and very much like a Dwarf. As the design began to change through re-sculpting, reshaping, and stripping back, I realized that it was a process that we were going through, to find a point at which Thorin and the actor inside of him were both visible. Of course that feels like a great compliment, although Richard Taylor did tell me fairly near the end of filming that they straightened my nose, which is apparently off centre… I didn’t know that!” - Richard Armitage
(from The Hobbit Chronicles: Art & Design)
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