Elijah Wood gatecrashed a Lord of the Rings-themed wedding in New Zealand, much to the shock of the bride and groom.
Elijah Wood gatecrashed a Lord of the Rings-themed wedding in New Zealand.
The 44-year-old actor – who played Frodo Baggins in the fantasy film trilogy – returned to Hobbiton, the set in Matamata, used in the films accompanied by a camera crew and the bride and groom were stunned by the arrival of their surprise guest.
In a video shared to Hobbiton’s official TikTok account, Elijah stepped out from the assembled guests and stood at the end of the aisle, prompting both the bride and groom to exclaim: “Oh my god!”
The actor was easy to spot in his jacket, jeans and sneakers – a stark contrast to the other guests.
He noted as he joined the couple at the altar: “This is amazing, and everyone is dressed as hobbits!”
Elijah posed with the newlyweds for photos and the groom – who wore mid-calf length trousers in keeping with the theme of the setting – enthused: “Thank you so much for coming.”
The actor posed for one final photograph before leaving the wedding.
When the Lord of the Rings films were completed in 2000, there were no plans to preserve the 39 Hobbit Holes which had been dug, and 22 of them were demolished.
However, an influx of tourists led to Hobbiton being designated an official attraction and guided tours began in 2002.
Director Sir Peter Jackson returned in 2009 to film The Hobbit trilogy on the same set, and tourists can now enjoy an additional 44 reconstructed Hobbit homes as a result.
Elijah previously insisted he didn’t earn as much money as people may have thought when working on the fantasy franchise.
Speaking at the 2025 Texas Film Awards, he said: “Because we weren’t making one movie and then renegotiating a contract for the next, it wasn’t the sort of lucrative scenario that you could sort of rest easy for the rest of your life.”
Cate Blanchett, who portrayed Galadriel in the films, went viral in August 2024 when she said on ‘Watch What Happens Live’ “no one got paid anything to do that movie”.
She added: “I basically got free sandwiches and I got to keep my (elf) ears.”
Elijah, responding to Cate’s comments, said to Business Insider: “That’s hilarious… statements like that are not made with any kind of ire. It’s such an honour to have been a part of those films, and they represent some of the best experiences of my life.”
Orlando Bloom, 48, who played Legolas in the fantasy series, previously revealed in a 2019 interview on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ he was paid just $175,000 for all three films.
And Sean Astin, 54, who starred as Samwise Gamgee, later claimed he earned around $250,000 for the trilogy.
When asked if his salary matched Sean’s, his co-star Elijah declined to confirm, but said “it doesn’t matter” because the value the films had on his career and life was “priceless.”
Elijah Wood stuns fans at Lord of the Rings-themed wedding
