 In Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films, Wormtongue was played by Brad Dourif, described in "The Guardian" as an "unnerving presence" and in "The Independent" as a "snivelling sidekick urging his master on to acts of increasing depravity".According to Dourif, Jackson encouraged him to shave off his eyebrows so that the audience would immediately have a subliminal reaction of unease to the character.