The next Lord of the Rings film, The Two Towers, is finally here. Are you excited?

I can't believe how quickly it's all come along. I loved it so much I feel like I could talk about it forever! This one is going to be a fantastic, killer installment. I saw the director, Peter Jackson, recently and he's very excited. He says it's actually going to be a better movie than the first one.

How are the hobbits and the rest of the LOTR gang these days?

We're all excited to be seeing each other again to promote the second film. But I'm lucky enough to get to see most of them at other times too. When I'm in New York I call Liv Tyler (who plays Arwen in the The Two Towers) and when I'm in LA I call Elijah (Wood, who is Frodo) and Sean (Astin, who is Sam Gamgee). Then when I'm in England I see the other two lads. We spent 18 months together making these movies - we formed a special bond.

Now that you're a huge star you're working all over the planet. Where do you call home these days?

Ah, it's hard. I'm between London and LA at the moment.

You worked on the action flick Black Hawk Down, which was a major score because it was such a big movie in the US. What's your career plan now?

The size of the movie doesn't worry me. Obviously, if you do a few big movies you get a following and you bring an audience with you, which means you get bigger and more opportunities... but I just do work that I enjoy.

How was working with Heath Ledger on the movie about Ned Kelly?

He's been a great co-worker. Being Australian, he knows the importance of the story to Australians and I'm sure he feels a certain amount of pressure to be as good as Ned Kelly, because his history is such a huge part of the culture.

Heath got hot and heavy with Naomi Watts while you were making the film. Did you get to know her well?

She did most of her scenes with Heath actually. I met her over dinner when we all went out as a group, but I didn't hang out with her much. Because she was only in for a week, or something like that, they had to get all of her scenes done quite quickly.

We love Heath, but he is getting a reputation for giving media and fans the cold shoulder now that he's a big star. What's he really like?

I don't see him as aloof. He's a young guy who's got a lot of pressure from outside and he's dealing with being a celebrity, which can be a bit hard to cope with at times.

You know a thing or two about that... Lord of the Rings has made you a huge sex symbol!

I think I'm on the outskirts of that life at the moment. I got a bit when the first Rings film came out and I'm sure there's going to be more when the others come out, but the funny thing is I don't really follow much popular culture stuff. I don't know who's on the music charts or who's hot... so it's strange to be included in sexiest people polls and all that sort of thing. I don't really even know who I'm up against!

Do you feel pressure to have to look good and be sexy now that you've achieved heart-throb status?

Not really. I think there's always a bit of pressure to try to be good-looking when you're growing up. But I don't think I feel it more than any other boy.

Why are you single? Surely being famous makes it easier to meet girls!

I don't think it makes it easier at alll. When you're a bit famous, people get an idea of what you're like in their heads, usually based around the roles you've played. Then when they meet you they're usually either intimidated and scared by what they think you are or terribly let down by the real you.

That's sad. So fame doesn't make everything in life easy then?

(Laughs) No way, man. Being a bit famous just makes life more complicated.

But surely there are some advantages to fame and fortune?

There are things I love. I love having a job that lets me travel to places like New Zealand and Australia. That's one of the best things about being me... I get to travel, experience new people and new cultures. I feel lucky that my life has let me do that!