Sean Astin became one of the most recognizable faces in one of the biggest film franchises in history—but the fame did not come with the fortune many fans might expect.
The actor, who played the loyal hobbit Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, revealed he struggled so much financially after starring in the films that he had to sell his house.
Fellow cast member Elijah Wood, who portrayed Frodo Baggins, previously explained that all three Lord of the Rings movies were filmed at once, meaning that contracts for the actors were negotiated before any of the films were released and before the scale of the trilogy’s success was known.
That means the actors did not receive the huge salaries typically associated with blockbuster franchises, despite the trilogy earning $2.9 billion worldwide and ranking among the highest-grossing film series ever.
As a result, Astin, who is now the SAG-AFTRA president, found himself caught between two very different realities: he was a globally recognized actor from one of the biggest franchises in film history, yet his earnings were far lower than many fans would have expected.
Astin previously revealed he earned “$75,000 a movie,” putting his total earnings from the three films at roughly $250,000.
“I was not prepared for that level of visibility and access,” Astin told The Guardian. “And there was a disconnect between the attention that I was getting and how much money we had. It was not a lot of money!”
He added that he eventually had to sell his house.
“In fact, I had to sell my house because I negotiated such a small amount on the trilogy,” he said.
Astin added that his financial issues are now firmly in the past, and he is now “very comfortable financially,” but admitted that if he returns to Middle-earth for future projects, he will not repeat the same mistake.
A new chapter in the franchise is already being developed, including The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis. Astin has not been confirmed to return as Samwise, but said he would welcome the chance.
“I don’t think anybody is opposed to it. We’d all love to connect to those characters, particularly if it’s done with such sensitivity as we heard,” Astin said.
And if he does return, he made clear he will be pushing for a very different deal.
“Goddam right,” he said.
