Sean Astin captured the hearts of fantasy fans everywhere when he starred as Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings," but says the compensation was not what one would expect.In a new interview with The Guardian, the 55-year-old actor shared just how "small" his payday was for the incredibly successful Academy Award-winning trilogy."I was not prepared for that level of visibility and access," he said."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."He previously revealed in a November 2017 interview on the "Jim and Sam Show" that he made $250,000 for his work on the trilogy, alongside some profit from merchandise sales, but no residuals.Astin shared that his paycheck for "Lord of the Rings" was not as big as everyone probably thinks.(New Line/courtesy Everett Collection; Frazer Harrison/WireImage)'MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN' STAR TED MCGINLEY REVEALS HE GETS PENNY RESIDUAL CHECKS FROM HIS HIT TV SHOWSThe "Stranger Things" star went on to say that he had purchased a home in Los Angeles and was told he needed to make $250,000 a year to pay the mortgage when he got the role in the films."It was an offer for $250,000 for a year and a half," he said."And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, my pen signed this contract, which obligated me to $250,000 a year, and I’m gonna sign this contract, which will make it so that I absolutely cannot satisfy that other thing.'"He went on to say that in the end was all about negotiating.
He also clarified that by the time the third movie was released, he "was feeling a little bit better" in terms of finances, adding that "By then, I had done a lot of other work, and we were fine."Astin's co-star in the first installment of the trilogy, Cate Blanchett, who played Galadriel, also spoke about how little she was paid for her role, telling Andy Cohen in an August 2024 episode of "Wat...