https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLO9TO3jFqQ
Peter Jackson recorded a sweet, heartfelt message as a surprise for a terminally ill superfan who was about to view a Lord of the Rings marathon.
Chris Bentacourt, a 20-year-old man given one year to live following his leukemia diagnosis in September, is going through all the items on his bucket list with friend Dillon Hill. As part of the duo’s One List, One Love project, they have working through the list, are fundraising for a backpacking trip around Europe and are actively seeking a bone marrow donor. This particular event was #26 on the bucket list and was hosted at Rooster Teeth’s Los Angeles office.
Jackson popped up in video form (as himself, not Albert Dreary) to provide a surprise message for Bentacourt. The filmmaker confessed to not having the nerve necessary to pull off the watching all of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in one go.
“Hello Chris, this is Peter Jackson, sending you some well-wishes from New Zealand,” he said. “I understand that the guys have arranged a surprise for you. I gotta say, you are doing something I’ve never done. I’ve never had the courage to watch all three Lord of the Rings movies in a single moment.”
The whole message from Jackson is heartwarming and remarkably kind. Check it out for yourself. To learn more about Chris and Dillon’s One List, One Love endeavor you can visit the official website.