Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd heads from the Shire to Saskatoon

He went with Frodo Baggins on his quest to destroy the One Ring but now Billy Boyd is on a quest to the Prairies.

The actor who played hobbit Peregrin “Pippin” Took in the Lord of the Rings trilogy will be at the Saskatoon Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend.

Boyd is actually no stranger to Saskatchewan.

“I made a movie last year or maybe the year before in Regina, I absolutely loved it I had a great time,” Boyd said on the Brent Loucks Show Friday morning.

The Scottish actor and musician is known around the world for his role as the singing hobbit Pippin. He said that growing up he had a very real connection to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series.

“When I was younger I worked as book binder. I used to make books when I left school,” he said with a laugh. “Strangely enough I made Master and Commander and ended up being in that film. Then I made Lord of the Rings. I used to make the books and then I get to be in the films, it’s quite nice.”

Being in a movie based on the books he used to bind was an experience he didn’t want to pass up but Boyd said he never expected it to become a global phenomenon .

 “We were making a fantasy movie and historically fantasy movies didn’t do well in the cinema . So anyone who said to you it was going to a huge success was lying,” Boyd said. “We tried to make the best films that we could but I don’t think anybody imagined they were going to be as big as they were.”

The role the movies have played in popular culture is clear when Boyd attends comic conventions around the world.

“The lovely thing about going to these comic conventions now is people tell you they still watch them at Christmas Eve and now they have families where their kids might be in college, or off having their own families now and they get back together and watch Lord of the Rings at Christmas. That’s just lovely,” he said.

Although best known for his journey to Middle Earth, Boyd’s career has also brought him into television and theatre roles.

As a musician Boyd wrote the song “The Last Goodbye” which played over the ending credits of the final Hobbit movie “The Battle of the Five Armies” released in 2014. He’ll bring that song and many others to the stage at Louis’ Pub at the University of Saskatchewan Saturday night with his band Beecake.

“We are coming to Canada for the first time to play these shows,” Boyd said. “Music has always been a big part of my life.”

For information about the comic expo visit the website.