Winning 11 Academy Awards, including one for the Best Picture of the Year, certainly says something, doesn't it? And that was just the final movie in Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Each of the stunning movies are almost universally seen as the best in their genre and emotionally faithful adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved series of books.

While diehard fans of Peter Jackson's movies know pretty much everything there is to know about the making of these projects, including which actors got injured on set, they may not know what the famed director believed to be the secret ingredient of the project. In fact, there were two things that Peter thought would make these projects stand above the rest...

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Changing What People Thought About Fantasy Movies

During an interview with the now-disgraced Charlie Rose after the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson discussed the two things he believes helped make Lord of the Rings so special.

"You said, about this, that you wanted the costumes and the actors to give the audience a sense of authenticity," Charlie Rose said, leading Peter Jackson into the topic about the secret ingredient to his adaptations. "Make it real."

"I think that was important because the fantasy genre, in terms of movies, I don't think has ever really succeeded wonderfully well," Peter Jackson told Charlie Rose. "There have been some movies that have been okay. But Hollywood seems to lack confidence in this particular genre for some reason."

Related: Film Critics Ebert & Roeper Initially Hated 'Lord Of The Rings', Here's Why

Peter's point is that you can look back at any other genre and name a ton of incredible films from Hollywood. This is especially true of westerns, spy movies, and musicals. But that can't be said of fantasy films. Of course, many fans now see Peter's Lord of the Rings Trilogy as the quintessential example of a great fantasy movie. But back when Peter released The Fellowship of the Ring, one would be hard-pressed to find examples of phenomenal fantasy films that have come out of Hollywood.

Ultimately, the key to reinventing the genre and making it something truly special came from J.R.R. Tolkien himself. As Peter said, "It's there in the book". So, what exactly did Peter dig up that made his Lord of the Rings films so freaking great?

Treating It As If It Were History

Yes, the key to making Lord of the Rings a successful story on film, according to Peter Jackson, was treating it as a historical film over a fantasy film.

"[J.R.R. Tolkien] wasn't writing fantasy," Peter claimed. "I don't believe [for a] minute he was writing a fantasy story. Not one minute. He was an Oxford professor who dedicated his life to a love of mythology. Ancient mythology. Which is not fantasy. It is very different. Mythology is different from fantasy. And Tolkien always mourned the fact that England's mythology had been eradicated by the Norman invasion in 1066. Mythology is based on oral stories that are passed down from generation to generation before the printing press was in. You know, Greek mythology is of the Trojan Horse and Achilles and things. They survived through the years. The great Norse sagas survived through the years. But England... When the Normans invaded, whatever stories had been nurtured had been eradicated. So, England's mythology was like medieval. Stuff like Robin Hood and King Arthur."

Therefore, Tolkien decided to create a mythology for England... and that mythology was The Lord of the Rings. In a sense, it was his way of creating a backstory to his country that was just as fantastically and beautiful as that of the Greeks or the Normans.

"He said, 'I imagine that this took place in England, in Europe, some seven or eight thousand years ago,'" Peter said of Tolkien.

Related: How Harvey Weinstein Almost Ruined 'The Lord of The Rings'

Therefore Peter and his creative team approached making these films as though they were making a part of history.

"[We approached it] just as though we were making an ancient Roman film. Or making Braveheart," Peter explained. "We'll pretend that these guys existed, it's history, it's real. 'Let's make the movie with that weight of authenticity.' In the designs. The looks. The performances. Everything. So that was our mantra."

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Respecting Tolkien's Messages

While there were many story changes and additions to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings adaptations, the director made sure to stay true to Tolkien's messages. He told Charlie Rose that he didn't want to impose any of his own messages or ideas into the movies and instead just focus on the themes dealt with in Tolkien's novels. This included exploring the idea of fellowship through war and the loss of innocence and loss of free will that comes with it. These themes came from Tolkien's own experiences during the First World War.

"He saw friends die. He saw friendship under fire. He understood what that was like," Peter explained. "And Frodo and Sam's relationship is based on that."

There was also a dislike of machines and the dangers of the destruction of nature in Tolkien's work. And, perhaps most importantly, a message about how bad turning your back on the lessons of the past can be. And this was something Peter captured beautifully.

Together with the idea that he was making a historical film and authentically capturing the messages Tolkien wanted to impart, Peter Jackson made something truly special. Unfortunately, these key ingredients weren't used in Peter's Hobbit movies. But at least The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will remain some of the best fantasy films of all time.

Next: The Truth About Casting Elijah Wood And Sir Ian McKellen In 'Lord Of The Rings'