Gandalf Predicts 'Rings' Oscar Sweep

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday February 26, 2002 11:03 AM EST

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In the wake of big winnings at Sunday's British Film Academy Awards for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," the movie's Gandalf the Wizard is fully expecting the production to dominate the Oscar ceremony on March 24. "The perceived wisdom is that (Hollywood) never vote(s) a fantasy movie as best film, which gives an added excitement," Gandalf's alter ego, actor Sir Ian McKellen, 62, told BBC TV Monday. Meanwhile, the conventional wisdom in Hollywood this week is that the Oscars are going to turn into a fierce competition between "Rings" and Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind," starring Russell Crowe as schizophrenic math genius John Nash. "But my money is absolutely on 'Lord of the Rings,' " said McKellen, "because I don't think it looks like a fantasy film, it looks as if it actually happened. That may win them over." "Rings," based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic novel, won five British Academy awards, including best picture and best director (for Peter Jackson). "Of course," conceded McKellen, "if they hadn't liked what Peter Jackson had done, if his imagination hadn't fitted in with theirs, then we would have problems. But all is going well -- it opened in Japan and has gone right through the roof. Every single country in the world has taken to it." And in Hollywood, noting succeeds like success.