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Don't Expand Arwen, Expand Eowyn
Colby Thomas

About the Arwen debate... I have so enjoyed discovering who they would cast in this fabulous epic. All good actors and physically close to my own imagination of what each character should look like. The problem is that when you want to cast a 'headline' star in a role as small, though important, as Arwen's this was bound to happen. I think the lovely Liv Tyler would never have agreed to do the role otherwise. Add to the mix that this is a very male dominated story and they have to appeal to the ladies of the 21st century, although I would not have had a problem with it myself.

Anyway, it is not the part of Arwen they should have expanded but the part of Eowyn. She is the more interesting character and already more fully drawn by Tolkien. Bring her up to Rivendell with Boromir, all the sooner to fall in love with Aragorn. There's your 'romantic tension.' Put Boromir in the mix and his death becomes evan more tragic and her eventual fate to fall in love with Faramir more like destiny. Lastly and most importantly, to Tolkien fans anyway, is that Eowyn is mortal and this quest was intended for the mortals of Middle Earth. If I'm not mistaking evan in the last great battle the only pure elf that fought was Legolas.  Aragorn and the sons of Elrond were all mixed blood.