(Interview portion repeated in People Magazine, 6 January 2004)

BOLDFACE NAMES

[The majority of this article contains material about Alec Balwin and Susie Essman and has been removed.]

The actors who play the snug, hairy-footed hobbits in ''Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' were supposed to be the focus of a recent screening at the AMC Empire in Times Square.

Mostly they were. DOMINIC MONAGHAN, who plays Merry the hobbit, and BILLY BOYD, who plays fellow hobbit Pippin, playfully parried press questions about their love lives.

Inevitably, however, VIGGO MORTENSEN came up. He plays Aragorn, the heroic king of Middle Earth. Do you think he's sexy? our Boldface correspondent asked. A burr caught in the throat of Mr. Boyd, who is Scottish. ''Women love him,'' Mr. Boyd said, mock horror washing over his face. ''I don't get it. He stinks. He's aggressive. Every time I see him, he head-butts me.''

with Joe Brescia and Paula Schwartz

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