As Everything is Illuminated’s Jonathan Safran Froer, the young Jewish American man on a pilgrimage to the Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during the Holocaust, eternally youthful Elijah Wood trades in his fellow journeyman hobbits for a pair of unlikely, would-be Ukrainian con artists turned tour guides. The players have changed all right, but the search and journey are no less powerful. It’s a performance of quiet detail, built on listening, reacting and thinking onscreen—no mean feat in movies today. And though we often regard Wood as unmistakably childlike, it’s high time to re-evaluate. Directed by the fine actor Liev Schrieber with attention to dual tones of comedy and tragedy, he creates a young man of winning restraint and then maturity.

I caught up with strikingly blue-eyed Elijah Wood recently to chat about this small, inspiring film, and was charmed by his thoughtful candor and good humor. A genuinely nice guy, Wood radiates gratitude and good sportsmanship in a business not always known for either.

Lee Shoquist, ReelMovieCritic: Jonathan is an about-face from what you’ve been doing for the last few years.

Elijah Wood: Yeah. It’s an extremely insulated, awkward, neurotic character—very different from anything I’ve played. It also gave me the opportunity to play around with comedic elements that I thought were really wonderful; just a really fantastic script and interesting story.

LS: Jonathan is difficult to get a read on. He’s unlike any other young man I can think of in the movies today.

EW: There’s a lot going on in Jonathan’s mind. There’s a whole, wide world and I think he just doesn’t fit in the world. So that gives you the indication. In terms of actually portraying that you assume that he’s not very social. He doesn’t understand human interaction very well. He’s a bit neurotic and has weird phobias. So all of those things are interesting concepts to play with in terms of portraying the character.

LS: A little ironic that you’re actually retrieving a ring in this film.

EW: Right! It’s so funny because I did not make that connection! (laughs)

LS: Eugene Hutz, who plays Alex, really fascinated me. He’s magnetic and has virtually no experience. I understand he’s in a band but his performance, particularly where the two of you end up in the conclusion, was surprising.

EW: Eugene! He’s in a band called Gogo Bordello. In fact, I have it (retrieves CD from his backpack)! He had never worked in a movie. He is from music. The whole story of Eugene coming onto this project was that he had actually taken a meeting in regards to music for the film, and they actually realized that he had a lot of sensibilities that Alex has. I think he even said something to the effect of, ‘I am that guy.’ That’s classic Eugene!

We really bonded on music right away. That’s how we connected as human beings. By the time it came to scenes that were about the connection between these two characters, as Jonathan lightens up a little bit and Alex starts to see—and Jonathan as well starts to see—similarities between the two, we’d already cultivated a friendship together that made those scenes so much easier.

LS: Music is a big part of your life. What does it do for you?

EW: It is, yes. Oh, it’s so many things! It’s an incredible marker for experience; for memory. I think they say that music and sense of smell are the two things that evoke memories the clearest and most vivid memories.

LS: Do you ever use it when you are creating a character, to sort of find the essence?

EW: I never have. But music is with me all the time. At the same time, I don’t necessarily use it directly in reference to a performance. But I’m always listening to music on the set, in my trailer, make-up trailer at the beginning of the day. It’s hard to define. It’s been a passion of mine since I can remember. I have a voracious appetite for learning about music. It’s also about history, how things came to be musically. I’m fascinated by all of it. It is a huge part of my life.

LS: Everything is Illuminated is road movie with a deep chord—life as searching, or a journey.

EW: I think the journey ultimately is about finding the woman who saved his grandfather during the war, mainly because he wants to connect with his grandfather, whom he did not know. Family is incredibly important to Jonathan and the connection to his family defines him. His grandfather is that missing link. It was the person that he didn’t know. He has this incredible connection with the rest of his family, but he doesn’t with his grandfather. It becomes about self-discovery, who he is, and who he is in relation to his family. That’s what the film becomes about largely for everybody—it’s ultimately a journey of self-discovery for everyone.

LS: What about for you personally?

EW: I don’t know if I have a specific journey that I’m on or a specific thing that I’m searching for. I don’t know if (acting) is in relation to any kind of search. My life is constantly about growing and experiences, and stretching my ability as an actor, exploring other passions that I have, be it music or photography or film, so it’s kind of always about further self-discovery in that way, and exploration as opposed to a specific thing that I’m looking for, for myself. It’s more just satisfying my interests and my passions.

LS: This is a serious subject but the film is very entertaining and fun, which is sort of a neat trick to pull off with such poignant material that touches a severe wound in world history.

EW: It’s a movie about self-discovery and the bond that three people share that they wouldn’t necessarily [have] thought they would, coming from different walks of life and different cultures. And it’s also a whimsical, hilarious story that leads to a poignant, emotional story. The way that this movie actually deals with the Holocauast, and I think it’s really beautiful, is that it doesn’t deal with it on a grand scale. It’s really about this one man’s experience in a small town. It doesn’t give you a sense of the grand scope because that’s not the story we’re trying to tell. It’s not a heavy movie, by any means. It’s actually kind of mad and hilarious, and ultimately very touching.

LS: You’re playing straight man here to two broader characters. It’s a very quiet performance about what is not said, as much as the dialogue. You’re really going inward here, and almost unrecognizable physically if not for the color of your eyes. It’s powerful, and I wonder if you might talk about the difference here instead of relying so much on the words.

EW: Yeah, it’s quiet and observational. The greatest challenge of playing a character like this is to not make it boring or lifeless. You don’t have dialogue per se to rely on or any kind of grand gestures. It’s trying to breathe life into someone who is quite still and very quiet, so that was definitely a challenge, and there are so many nuances that can be played within that stillness.

LS: What’s the strangest thing a Lord of the Rings fan has ever done to you?

EW: Not done—said, probably. Actually, there was a guy I met recently—this, I guess, sixty-year-old man who said he had a room devoted to me. To me. And that’s a little bit frightening.

LS: How do you even begin to respond to that?

EW: Yeah. To be as gracious as possible! I was at a Lord of the Rings convention not long ago, and it’s a wonderful way to connect with the fans. But it is also incredibly illuminating in that the age groups—there are literally like thirty and forty-year-old women who have met each other on the Internet because of Lord of the Rings. It’s not for me to judge, but it’s certainly interesting. It’s a world that I don’t explore. I can’t relate to it. I’m not fanatical about anything. I don’t follow anything to that degree. So it is utterly fascinating. These people are devoted!

LS: Are you ready to let go of it yet?

EW: Well, I have let go of it. It’s a part of my life. It will be a part of my life for the rest of my life. It was the greatest experience of my life. It was an incredibly enriching life experience and I did so much growing in that four years, and it’s informed so much on who I am now. I’m incredibly grateful to have had that experience.

LS: So are we.