'The Hobbit' loses its Fili as Kazinsky departs

Peter Jackson will recast the role

By Gregory Ellwood Monday, Apr 25, 2011 3:26 AM

"The Hobbit" cast during a press conference in February. Kazinsky is seated to the right in the blue t-shirt.

Sometimes real life gets in the way of a role of a lifetime. Not many moviegoers outside of the United Kingdom where aware of 27-year-old actor Rob Kazinsky, but that was all going to change when he made his debut as Fili in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit." Unfortunately, Jackson reports Kazinsky had to depart the production because of "personal reasons."

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In a posting on his official Facebook page, Jackson wrote, "I am sad to report that Rob Kazinsky, who was cast in the role of Fili, is having to leave The Hobbit and return home, for personal reasons. Rob has been terrific to work with and his enthusiasm and infectious sense of humour will be missed by all of us. I should say that Rob's departure will not affect ongoing filming of The Hobbit, nor will it impact work done to date, as we had yet to film much of Fili's storyline. At the moment we are shooting scenes featuring Bilbo without the Dwarves, which will give us time to find a new Fili. I'll keep everyone posted with updates as they come.

Cheers,

Peter J"

Kazinsky is best known for his role on the long running British soap "EastEnders." No further details on his departure have been revealed as of yet.

"The Hobbit" stars Martin Freeman and returning "Lord of the Rings" veterans Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood. Jackson began shooting the Warner Bros. and MGM co-production last month in New Zealand.

Gregory Ellwood
Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder

With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.