Sean Astin’s pay on the Lord of the Rings trilogy was such a “small amount”, he had to sell his house.
Sean Astin had to “sell [his] house” because his Lord of the Rings pay was so low.
The 55-year-old actor played Samwise Gamgee in the hit fantasy trilogy but despite the global success of the movies, he admitted he didn’t negotiate a fee that reflected the exposure they brought.
He told The Guardian newspaper: “I was not prepared for that level of visibility and access.
“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! In fact, I had to sell my house because I negotiated such a small amount on the trilogy.”
However, he stressed he is “very comfortable financially now”.
Andy Serkis is currently shooting The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum with Sean’s former co-stars Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood, and director Sir Peter Jackson recently announced another film in the franchise, co-written by Stephen Colbert.
Sean would be keen to return to play Samwise again – if the pay was right.
He said: “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.”
Asked if he’d be paid better this time round, he replied: “Goddam right.”
Meanwhile, the Goonies actor – who has three daughters with wife Christine Harrell – admitted he has “fantasised” about a political career but feels he owes it to his spouse to stick with their plans for a quiet retirement after she patiently stayed by his side throughout endeavours including an Iron Man triathlon and a master’s degree in public administration and policy.
Asked if he’s considered a political career because of his positive public image, he said: “I appreciate that.
“I certainly have the interest, but my wife and I have talked a lot about the porch with the rocking chairs …
“So at a certain point, it’s just not very courteous to not honour the family.
“I’ve always fantasised about it. You know, actors love politics. We want to play congressmen and senators and presidents.”
But while Sean knows he has plenty of the right attributes for a political career, he insisted he isn’t perfect and for now he’s got enough going on as president of the acting union Sag-Aftra.
He said: “I’m a straight shooter and I’m honest. There are certain things about my value system that are unimpeachable. But I’m also, you know, a f***-up sometimes.
“I feel equal to the task of accepting the responsibility of this job and the constitutional requirements that come with it … I don’t expect that anyone would look at me and think he’s, you know, unflappably perfect, but I like the idea that people would look at me and go, ‘Wow, he sort of put his s*** together.’ That’s pretty good.”
Sean Astin couldn’t afford house amid Lord of the Rings fame
