British actor Richard Armitage's career has come full circle after landing a role in The Hobbit, because the original book sparked his interest in acting.
Peter Jackson has hired the star to play Thorin Oakenshield, the king of the dwarves, in his upcoming Lord of the Rings two-part prequel.
And Armitage finds it thrilling to be part of the lavish production, because J. R. R. Tolkien's original tale boosted his imagination as a kid and prompted him to work towards becoming an actor.
He tells Total Film, "When you're standing in front of Gandalf and you have to start delivering your lines, there's a moment when you can't quite believe it. The Hobbit was one of those books that got me into reading. It really fired up my imagination. That's why I became an actor."