Pace called Thranduil the "Elvenking" instead of his actual name during interviews, following Tolkien's usage in "The Hobbit", which Pace read as a high school student. In an interview with "The Georgia Straight", Pace explained that Thranduil, unlike other villanous characters he had played like Ronan the Accuser, is morally ambiguous, as he is only at odds with the Dwarves. Pace felt that it was important for him to find enjoyment in playing characters who are larger-than-life, and that it was on him to try to figure out who his character was with what little that he knew. Pace praised the rest of the cast and crew members of "The Hobbit" film project as inspirational, noting that they were collectively telling a big story which was intended to be fully fleshed out on the green screen and which they had no idea how it would ultimately turn out.