[Ritona]

Из интервью Ричарда Армитейджа про Аркенстон:

Журналист:"This immediately struck me as a darker film, since we have these themes coming through now of greed and corruption. Not just with Smaug, obviously, but also with Bilbo’s relationship with the ring and also your character’s desire to get hold of the Arkenstone."

Ричард: "It was important to separate those two things. That’s why the first scene’s important, and the reason it got used, because the Arkenstone’s more of a talisman. It offers the right to rule, and it means that [Thorin] can call on armies to gather to the Arkenstone.
But you’re right about the greed and the corruption. It just starts to tip in. The gold starts to take effect."

И из другого его интервью:

"Gandalf and Thorin really do have a history and an understanding of what the quest means. It means something different to both of them. It really sets up the idea that the Arkenstone means kingship and without it he cannot rule and he cannot command armies. I think that becomes apparent by the end of the film, when they really need the Arkenstone. But from Gandalf’s perspective, it’s the greater political dynamic of Middle-earth and the rise of evil and that evil controlling the dragon, which ultimately is going to slingshot into the Battle of the Five Armies in movie three. It’s a really crucial scene. A still scene and a talking heads scene, it’s kind of brave."