Life Biography

"I want to continue my life the way I live it, and I'm not going to let anything stop me from doing that."
~Elijah Wood

The goal of The Woodshed is to operate as a production company which exclusively caters to horror filmmaking but not the cliched ideas of horror movies. Their manifesto states that it wants to "tell heartfelt, character driven stories, tackling real emotional and social issues that test the boundaries of the genre space." After The Woodshed's inception, the partners spent two years developing projects to begin their lineup. Their aim is to give writers and directors with a unique perspective the opportunity to work with complete artistic freedom. As Creative Director, Elijah oversees the identity and vision of the company.

Toad Road, a thriller that Elijah saw at the Nightmare City Film Festival, became the first production The Woodshed attached itself to. It received respectable reviews, but their second production, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, put the company on the map. The movie helmed by first time director Anna Lily Amirpour, is an Iranian vampire western love story, shot in black and white with dialogue in Farsi.

Elijah said of the film, "All of these elements were maybe things that would have scared other people looking to invest in something from a commercial standpoint, but for us, it was absolutely everything that we wanted to be a part of." A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night made its debut at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It earned great reviews, several awards, and was the recipient of close to 30 nominations from film festivals throughout the world along with three Independent Spirit Award nods.

Late in 2012, The Woodshed fell upon a copyright infringement issue. They had to abandon their original name and it was soon rebranded as SpectreVision. Open Windows was also produced by SpectreVision, but producing films that Elijah would act in is not his or the company's objective. SpectreVision looks far and wide for films to produce with a distinct vision. Some scripts come by word of mouth. Some come from friends of friends and others come through social media. Any outlet is viable to help bring unconventional originality in storytelling.

Now serving as a producer in films and music, Elijah helped to wrap up Diamond Dust, Heloise and the Savoir Faire's second CD on Simian Records released in March 2013. However, this would be his last endeavor with Simian, stating that it was a fun time and a grand experiment into something he wanted to accomplish.

In March, filming began on the third season of Wilfred. A month later, The Tribeca Film Festival screened the short film, Setup, Punch. In the movie, Elijah portrayed a stand-up comedian who performs the most daring set of his life. To prepare, Elijah carried out a comedy routine at the Improv in LA, and as he recalled before he took the stage, "It felt like I was about to jump out of a plane." In spite of his fear, his real life performance went miraculously well and his experience made for a convincing and hilarious performance on screen. Three other minor projects were released in 2013. Elijah has never been seen as detestable as he was in the twisted three-story tale, Pawn Shop Chronicles. He had a few lines dubbing English for the Annie Award winning, Japanese film The Wind Rises, and voiced the main character in an animated TV pilot which aired in the UK named Peter Panzerfaust, based on a comic book series.

But a large part of 2013 was spent promoting his films, Maniac and Grand Piano, which took him from Moscow and Madrid to Los Angeles and New York City. With such a schedule, Elijah would still make the time to attend two of his favorite festivals, South by Southwest and Fantastic Fest both in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest, held at the Alamo Drafthouse, arguably one of his favorite places, is where Elijah has met filmmakers he's worked with, and has the opportunity to scout out projects. The laid back atmosphere of the week long festival allows for easy mingling between filmmakers and movie fans without velvet ropes separating them.

Because he felt like he belonged, Elijah became a resident of Austin. After his first time there making The Faculty, he became a regular visitor. For a time, his brother Zach lived in Austin, and Elijah made many friends there. He came to love the city for its small town atmosphere combined with the amenities of a big city. Major attractions for him are the vibrant art community, an infectious music scene and the excellent restaurants, important for a foodie and music lover like Elijah. As his work for SpectreVision is centered in Los Angeles, he still resides there, too.

One of the best things Elijah enjoys about traveling is the food. While visiting exotic and urban communities, he indulges in the local cuisines. He will research restaurants from Japan to France, seeking the best to try. In his travels he's dived into a cumin infused intestine sandwich in Istanbul, and had one of the best hamburgers of his life in Barcelona.

However, Elijah doesn't have to cross oceans to enjoy good dining. New York City, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago, and of course Austin are places where the culinary is divine. At home he smokes his own brisket, bakes Neapolitan style pizza and Cassoulet is one of the best dishes he's made. Elijah's choice venues to conduct interviews is at local restaurants, he's judged a cooking contest for the TV show Knife Fight, and won a MoonPie eating contest. At one point he considered starting a pie restaurant and was one of hundreds on hand to help keep a favorite LA taco stand open. Elijah usually snacks on nuts or trail mix, leaving regular meals to entice his discerning palate.

In October 2013, it was announced that Wilfred would have another season which would be its last. The concluding 10 episodes of season four to be aired on sister network FXX, would finally give diehard viewers the answers they'd been seeking for three years. After he said the show gave him "job security," Elijah explained, "I don't know that we can believe Wilfred for 10 seasons. To the fairness of the structure of the show, I think it can only survive for so long. I would hate to make the show carry on for too long and not have it necessarily support what we've created." But Wilfred has continued to gain more viewers discovering the offbeat dark dramedy through avenues such as Hulu and Netflix. When asked if there would be another incarnation of Wilfred, creator and bearer of the dog suit, Jason Gann replied, "Never say never."

After Elijah's agent Nicole David left William Morris, he signed on with Brian DePersia who helped procure future projects for Elijah. With the one-two punch of his agent and manager, the script for Set Fire to the Stars was dropped in his lap. After reading the script in November 2013, filming started in Wales in January 2014 and was wrapped 18 days later. A year after that, the movie was making its way around film festivals. The semi-biographical drama is set in the 1950s, when the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, played by Celyn Jones, visited America. With much turmoil, he was shepherded around Academia by the American poet, professor and critic John Malcolm Brinnin, played by Elijah. It's essentially a two-hander, and the on screen "love-hate" chemistry between Celyn and Elijah is fascinating to watch. Elijah had such a strong connection with the film, he took on co-producer duties, but on his own, not as a part of SpectreVision.

Celyn, who also served as co-writer on Set Fire to the Stars, said of the script, "Halfway through the writing process we thought 'Wouldn't Elijah Wood be an amazing John Brinnin.' And so we finished the script with our John looking like Elijah Wood." When Elijah sought out biographical information on John Brinnin, his research turned up empty, as there's not much written about the poet. This however was a sign the man was private, and thus gave Elijah his guidance on how to approach the character. This beautiful, melodious black and white film was nominated for seven BAFTA-CYMRU Awards including Best Feature, taking home the prize for Best Hair and Makeup.

Elijah voiced teenage boys going through the difficult phase of growing up in two animated projects. First there was Broken Age (2014-2015), the point-and-click adventure video game where Elijah voiced Shay. The game was well received and Elijah won Best Voice Actor for Shay from the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers in 2015. Second, an animated short film entitled, Tome of the Unknown, that made the rounds at film festivals in 2013, was developed into a miniseries for Cartoon Network and retitled, Over the Garden Wall. Elijah reprised his role of Wirt from the short film. Along with his younger half brother Greg, they traveled through a strange and mysterious forest to find the way home and was met by plenty of bizarre folks and creatures. The 10 episode, 11-minute program that aired for a week in November 2014 was the first miniseries for Cartoon Network.

The premise of Over the Garden Wall is not as lighthearted as it sounds, in that some of the visuals could disturb younger viewers. The series was met with rave reviews from its dark yet funny storytelling, to the stunning animation and music. It was nominated for two Annie Awards and won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program and Outstanding Animation. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and enthusiastic fans of Over the Garden Wall have emulated the whimsical characters by dressing as them for productions and conventions as well as creating their own works of art.

Elijah's next project could be called "home-grown." SpectreVision's Josh Waller had his own idea of a horror film where a food born virus would turn children into savages, and the name would be Cooties. He communicated his brainchild to the other partners who loved the premise, and the idea was given to Insidious and Saw writer Leigh Whannell who wanted to write the story. However, Josh, Daniel and Elijah went in with the notion the film would be dramatic, but with its campy title, Leigh suggested it's obviously a comedy and they agreed. Ian Brennan, writer on the television show Glee was also brought on board, and the two writers were the perfect ingredients Cooties needed.

Horror comedies are notoriously difficult to pull off, but Cooties managed to find the right balance between horror and comedy. As the main character of Clint Hadson was written, the partners felt that Elijah would be great for the part. But Elijah was reluctant to be in the movie, wanting his work as an actor and as a producer to remain separate. After an intervention session with Elijah, who constantly resisted acting in Cooties, he was finally persuaded to play the role of Clint because he loved the script, and filming began in the summer of 2013.

When Cooties was screened at The Sundance Film Festival in 2014, the movie was picked up by Lionsgate Entertainment. This gave the writers extra funds to tweak the ending which left it ambiguous for the possibility of a sequel, which all involved would love to do regardless of mixed reviews. Improvisational actors Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer, Nasim Pedrad and Alison Pill were signed on for the ensemble cast along with writers Whannel and Brennen, who all clearly had great fun working together. In the DVD extras, the group of actors spontaneously erupted into impromptu praise for Elijah. "He lives in a world without pain or fear," said Whannell. "Also he heals the sick with his eyes." Wilson playfully added.

The Stanley Hotel in Colorado was the inspiration behind the horror novel and film classic, The Shining. It also hosts the Stanley Film Festival which showcases independent horror movies since 2013. Many of SpectreVision's films have screened at the festival, so it was appropriate that SpectreVision's partners, along with actor/producer Simon Peg and filmmakers George A. Romero and Mick Garris lobbied to raise funds in support of building an expansive horror-themed museum on the premises. With its reputation for paranormal activities, The Stanley Hotel, which opened in 1909, and is on the national register of historical places, received the green light from the state of Colorado to commence with the project which is slated to open by 2018.

With a handful of films at various stages in their catalog, SpectreVision was honored in 2014 with the Visionary Award at The Stanley Film Festival for their contribution to independent film. Current titles such as, LFO: The Movie, Curse the Darkness, Bad Vibes, Belladonna of Sadness, The Greasy Strangler and The Boy, are all products of SpectreVision with the latter, The Boy, having the most creative premise. The film takes an intimate look at a young child's fascination with death. The Boy is planned as the first part of a trilogy with each film following the child as he grows darker through the years. Jared Breeze, who portrays "the boy," went on to win the Best Young Artist Award rivaling Elijah who won the same award in 1993.

SpectreVision, in partnership with Cinefamily, started Spectrefest, a two week celebration of horror films in LA that developed into a two month marathon of film, music, art and theater events. In the five years since its inception, SpectreVision has expanded its focus, with new and exciting forays into the worlds of music, television, gaming and digital media. In January 2016, SpectreVision announced a new partnership with gaming giant Ubisoft, to create, develop and produce original content for their virtual reality platform. Of the VR videogaming world, Elijah narrated for the adorable little hedgehog, Henry, for Oculus Rift, which went on to win an Emmy for Original Interactive Program. They also sealed a deal with MarVista to produce four genre films over the next two years. Of their music division clients, composer, Johann Johannsson scored big with his work on The Theory of Everything (2014) and Sicario {2015). Both were nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA for Original Score, and winning a Golden Globe for composing The Theory of Everything. With their growing success, the founding partners assembled a staff to help manage the company. What began with three men and a love of horror films, now involves eleven people. They include CEO Liza Wahlen, music division manager, Tom Husom and Elijah's sister, Hannah, acting as operations manager.

Of the Wood clan, Elijah isn't the only sibling in entertainment. While Hannah was briefly seen in Radio Flyer and The Two Towers, she didn't want to become an actress. She created a line of lip balm called Blabbermouth, hosted a bi-weekly art event in LA, and is now a member of SpectreVision. Like Elijah, Zach started modeling and acting in Iowa, but his interests turned after leaving college. He became an executive video game producer, formerly for Midway, and eventually senior producer with Sony.

Film acting and movie production is a difficult juggling act, but Elijah embraces each aspect with vigor and determination. While working out new deals and projects for SpectreVision, he went to work on two films. The fantasy action movie, The Last Witch Hunter, began filming in September 2014 in Pittsburgh and a month after it wrapped, he was in Las Vegas filming The Trust in January 2015. In a supporting role, Elijah portrays a priest assisting an immortal played by Vin Diesel in The Last Witch Hunter. The film generated mostly disappointing reviews, some saying that Elijah's talents were wasted. Even though it was set in wide release, it quickly vanished from theaters. Lionsgate Entertainment had intended to develop The Last Witch Hunter as a franchise well before the movie's release. Though, due to the tepid box office performance, that prospect seems uncertain.

Elijah bounced back in the indie heist thriller, The Trust, alongside Nicolas Cage. In this character driven film, Elijah and Nicolas play a couple of corrupt Las Vegas cops planning to rob the vault of a drug dealer. One deciding motive for Elijah to accept this role was that he got to work opposite Cage, one of his favorite actors. Elijah's enthusiasm was expressed in numerous interviews he gave at the South by Southwest Film Festival where the movie debuted. The Trust starts off as a comedy, but the increasingly dark tones gives it an edge. Unanimous critiques of the film are how convincingly Elijah and Nicolas play off each other. "Both give amazing performances taking their characters through a transformation from one extreme to the other on the slippery slope from cops to criminals whilst remaining believable and engaging throughout." Many viewers have expressed they would like the unexpected duo to work together again.

In April 2016, Elijah went to Portland, Oregon to shoot a low-key crime drama that's yet to be titled. Written and directed by Macon Blair of Blue Ruin and Green Room fame, the plot is still under wraps. So far, a vague description of "damaged humans bumping around" has been given. Just prior to this project, it was announced in March that Elijah would make a return to television to take on a leading role in the BBC America series, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. The eight episode, hour-long program shot in Vancouver is scheduled to start airing in October of 2016. The script, written by Max Landis, is based on British author Douglas Adams' novels, which have been described as "a good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic." That sounds even more bizarre than Wilfred, just up Elijah's street.

Speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Landis' definition of his adaptation of Dirk Gently is just as complicated. Yet, his explanation of how Elijah succeeds in giving validity to his character Todd Brotzman is crystal clear. "Elijah's style of acting is so compelling because he gives an inner world and a secondary meaning to almost everything a character says. Frodo Baggins is a thin character. Kevin in Sin City is not a character, and then you give it to Elijah and Elijah brings that person to life and gives that person credibility. You're going to find out stuff about Todd that you don't like, but you still need to like him. He's the perfect actor."

Looking at Elijah's roles over the decades, one is struck by his versatility as an artist. His talent for drama has been recognized ever since he was a child actor, but his flair for comedy has long been underappreciated. Over the last few years, his appetite for doing new things and challenging himself has made him accept more comedic roles. And he has shown himself to be as adept at comedy as at drama. As one critic wrote about his work in The Trust: "Elijah Wood's deadpan is second-to-none, as anyone who watched Wilfred can tell you. Wood remains a terrific actor to watch react, to watch think."

Being on set, shooting a scene, is only a small part of an actor's work. Promoting your films, interacting with fans and keeping up to date with the (indie) film scene are just as important. Elijah has said he doesn't dislike this part of his work, as it just goes with the job. Over the years, Elijah conducted countless interviews, photo shoots and appeared in reams of TV talk shows. He attended many conventions and is a faithful visitor to indie film festivals like Fantastic Fest, Sundance and South by Southwest. Elijah also served on judge's panels at Tropfest Short Film Festival in Sydney Australia (2010), Topanga Film Festival in Topanga Canyon, California (2011) and of course Fantastic Fest.

Those who speak to the press run the risk of their words being distorted, and Elijah is no exception. At times the media has gone so far as to invent their own story. When Elijah visited India for the first time in 2015 as part of Wooden Wisdom, it was farcical what was reported by their journalists. They stated the DJing team would travel with an entourage of bodyguards, chefs, wardrobe managers and a fleet of cars at their disposal. There have been other times where a harmless gesture or a simple statement is taken out of context, thus turning something straightforward into controversy.

Nothing speaks of this more than when Elijah gave an interview on his latest film, The Trust, in May 2016, but the story turned into something entirely different. In the midst of the interview, he made a brief comment on pedophiles in Hollywood that came based on a documentary he had just watched about the issue. But the writer turned his short remark into clickbait which became a trending topic over the internet making it appear he knew of the problem but never spoke about it. Elijah went to Twitter to clarify what he actually said in the interview. "Lesson learned." he concluded. A good thing came from all this. The problem was brought to the forefront again and Elijah was commended on his observation.

All through his career Elijah has lent his talent to commercials, and he continues to do so. He became a well dressed but rebellious executive in Paper Plane, a stylish advertisement for Mr. Porter men's retail clothing (2013). He appeared in the short film, This Must Be The Only Fantasy, for his friend's fashion house Rodarte (2013), and made several clips for Toyota Japan (2014). Memorable are the bizarre advertisement clips he did for The Bunny Museum (2010-2011). Other than appearing on marquees for his movies, Elijah has been spread across building facades and city billboards for endorsements and public awareness. He's soared high above urban streets for GAP Jeans, Bushmills Irish Whiskey and for a YouthAIDS/ALDO campaign. To celebrate the release of the last installment of The Hobbit films, Air New Zealand made a funny online safety video. It shows Elijah sharing the flight to Middle Earth with a couple of overly enthusiastic Lord of the Rings fans (2014).

Elijah is a sought after celebrity for conventions, not only because of his fame as Frodo, but also because of his charisma, wit and enthusiasm interacting with fans. His Q&A sessions and discussion panels are well worth attending. He always has something interesting to say, be it about his own experiences as an actor, the state of the modern film industry, or his favorite subject, horror films. Notable Q&A sessions were at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida (2012), the Hero Hang Out at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (2014) and the Nerdist Q&A at the San Diego Comic Con (2015), to mention just a few.

Elijah has successfully worked in the realms of acting and producing, so what would be next for him in the world of filmmaking? He has said working in Hollywood has been like going to film school for most of his life. He has worked with many great directors and has learned from them. While he had snippets of directing smaller projects, some fear and self-doubt has kept him from directing a feature film. But Elijah has the drive to conquer his inhibitions, and would be destined to direct one day.

From his early years in show business and beyond, Elijah has continuously displayed his outgoing personality. Unlike some celebrities at a certain level of fame who may shun people seeking a moment of their time, Elijah has always been generous to his fans. He has stopped in his tracks to issue autographs, have a quick chat or pose for a photo or two, placing an inviting arm to the shoulder of the photo-seeker. Though this kindness may make him a little late to where he's going, he has little concern about his space being infringed upon. Elijah spoke about fans: "Even though the interactions tend to be brief, it's lovely to speak to people, you see the diversity of people and the fact that it runs the gamut of old and young, and multicultural that love the things that you do."

When recently asked what has been the happiest period in his life, Elijah replied, "Right now." He thrives on remaining busy, and realizing so many of his dreams must feel great. Developing films for SpectreVision has given him an outlet for his creativity. DJing as Wooden Wisdom is in tune with both his passion for music and his zest for traveling. With so many activities, Elijah can still be a homebody with his favorite television shows like Game of Thrones, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. He relishes in other pastimes such as reading, exploring the art of photography and savoring fine, exotic cuisine. Elijah believes life is there to be lived to the fullest.

A few years ago, Elijah said in an interview, "Life is more than Hollywood and acting. I believe that life is a multi-faceted experience and I've always been fascinated by so many different vocations and so many different arts and I've always believed that it's important to pursue all things."

At this fansite, we will continue to follow Elijah's journey, through the highs and lows, successes and failures, ideas and realities, and one thing is certain; it's going to be interesting!

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RESOURCES: The Apple Store, The Art of Elysium, The Baltimore Sun, Buena Vista Pictures, Cinepse, The Circular, Corduroy Magazine, David Frost Over the World, Deadline, Dimension Films, Evening Standard, The Guardian, High Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, IMDb Pro, IMTA, Jacques Magazine, Larry King Now, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Live Magazine, Miller-McCune, Mirror UK, Movieline, MTV, Nerd HQ, New Line Cinema, The Observer, The One Ring.net, Orlando Sentinel, Paste Magazine, People Magazine, Prodigy, PTI, Reddit, Roger Ebert.com, Rolling Stone, Salon, Screen Anarchy, SpectreVision, Starburst Magazine, The Sunday Times, Sway's Universe, UPI, Variety, Veriti Film Magazine, The Vinyl Factory, Vimby, We Got This Covered, WTF with Marc Maron, YouTube

DISCLAIMER: The content of this biography is for general information and entertainment purposes only and strictly non-profit. The information, images and videos provided by the various online and print resources listed are property of the respective owners and no copyright infringement is intended. While we strive to keep the information correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or suitability. Neither Elijah Jordan Wood, nor his representatives were associated with direct content or execution of this biography.

This biography would not have been possible without the diligent assistance from co-writer Ambree and proofreaders Addie and Paulie. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

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