Lord of the Rings’ Sean Astin Loves Answering the Same Fan Questions

The Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin doesn’t mind answering the same fan questions about the series over and over again. The Lord of the Rings is a film trilogy based on the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy novel of the same name. The huge-budget films, which were directed by Peter Jackson, came out yearly from 2001-03 and were instant smash successes with both audiences and critics. The Fellowship of the Ring hit #2 worldwide in 2001 and won 4 Oscars out of 13 nominations; The Two Towers nabbed #1 in 2002 with 2 Oscars out of 6 nominations; and The Return of the King was also #1 in 2003 and swept the awards with 11 Oscars, winning in every category it was nominated for, including Best Picture.

Astin starred in the trilogy as Samwise Gamgee, the hobbit who accompanied his best friend Frodo along his journey to take the One Ring to Mordor and throw it into the fires of Mount Doom. He was a simple gardener who proved he had the mettle to protect Frodo on the treacherous path, even when the Ring-addled Gollum attempted to drive them apart. Sam even briefly took up the Ring himself when he thought Frodo had died from an attack by the giant spider Shelob.

Speaking with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Astin says he views every interaction with fans as something deserving of a thoughtful response. Even though, nearly two decades after the trilogy ended, fans mostly end up asking the same exact questions, he endeavors to remember that “every human interaction is sacred,” a maxim taught to him by his father. He is “proud” of his work and – for him – part of that work includes building connections with his viewers as individuals. Read the full quote below:

Every human interaction is sacred… I think that establishing those connections, person by person and individual by individual, is my job, and I’m proud of my work.

Not every fan asks Astin about The Lord of the Rings. After filming finished on that project, the actor went on to several smaller scale but still popular projects. This is partially because almost every project in Hollywood is smaller scale than The Lord of the Rings, but also because Astin was allowed the freedom to take the projects that most interested him thanks to the money and popularity the trilogy afforded him. Most recently, the actor can be spotted in Stranger Things, Supergirl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Big Bang Theory, as well as voice roles in New Looney Tunes, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?

Astin’s generous response to these fan questions proves that he is more similar to his The Lord of the Rings than anyone might have thought. His kindness in his approach to human beings is unparalleled, and would certainly make Sam Gamgee proud. Astin seems aware that he is lucky to have been given this sort of opportunity and is ready to make the most of it both for himself and for the people who love his work.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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