SEATTLE — There’s a good chance you’ve been pronouncing a famous author’s name wrong.
J.R.R. Tolkien is known as the “father of modern fantasy literature” for writing masterpieces like Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
The upcoming movie Tolkien is a biopic focused on his early years. It begins at King Edwards School in Birmingham and follows him through his service in WWI.
One of the first revelations in the film is that his surname is pronounced “toll-keen” – a surprise to star Nicholas Hoult.
"Boy yeah, this is a subject of debate and something I didn't know until reading this script, and then watching a documentary where Judy Dench does the voice-over and I listened to her and I was like, ‘Hang on a minute, I've been saying his name wrong,’” he said. “I was saying ‘toll-kin.’ But it's not pronounced like that, it's ‘toll-keen.’”
The more you know...
Tolkien also stars Lily Collins. It opens in theaters May 10.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.