When asked about the trouble they have been having with production of this film and if he was at all concerned about a "Hobbit curse", he replied...
“I’m not [worried],” he said of the so-called curse. “There are some bits of bad luck to do with it, I guess, that are almost comical, I suppose. But we’re all very optimistic about it. We’re all ready to go, just as soon as 2015 rolls around. We will be there and ready.”
He also discusses how he has taken inspiration from Sir Ian Holm (Bilbo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings trilogy).
Obviously I’ve been looking at what he was doing,” he said. “There’s a certain level, of course, at which I have to match what he was doing and then forget it as well. Without being either big-headed or falsely modest, I think I’m quite a good match for him. I mean, I’ve seen worse matches … we’ll find out.”
Despite the problems, the entire cast are dedicated to making "The Hobbit" the best movie it can be. William Kircher, who will be playing Bifur in the movies, has also acknowledged that the bar has been set very high and wants to make sure they can keep the same high standard set by The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"We are all focused really on the work at this stage," Kircher said. "We have a lot of live up to and are completely and utterly determined to live up to it.
The Hobbit "part one" has a set release date of late 2012.