Watching One Lord of the Rings Scene Still Makes Sean Astin Cry

There is no shortage of fantasy movies in Hollywood. Yet, to this day, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy stands head and shoulders above other entries in the genre, largely thanks to breathtaking action scenes, gorgeous filming locations, and a stellar lead cast. In an interview with the ReelBlend podcast, actor Sean Astin, who played the role of Samwise Gamgee in the series, revealed a particular scene from the trilogy that still makes him tear up.

“The last [scene] we shot was a scene that always makes me cry in the movie, when Aragorn turns and looks at us and says, ‘Oh, my friends, you bow to no one.’ That was the last shot of the four Hobbits. My last shot. The movie had more to do, but the four Hobbits were basically, we stood against a green screen or blue screen, or whatever, and we just hit it. And the camera just kind of did a little push in, and we all gave this sheepish like, ‘Oh, I guess they’re all bowing for us?'”

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The scene in question comes near the end of the trilogy, in The Return of the King. After Frodo and Sam are successful in casting the One Ring into the pits of Mount Doom, Sauron’s power is scattered, his armies are vanquished, and the Fellowship of the Ring are borne in triumph to Gondor.

There, the four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are brought before the new King of Gondor, their friend Aragorn. To show respect for what the tiny hobbit heroes were able to achieve, Aragorn and his entire kingdom bow before them. The scene is as much a favorite among fans as it is for Sean Astin. Although the way the actor describes filming the scene takes away a bit from its sense of grandiosity.

“You know, it was… we were on prison time. Everybody was counting down for the last three months. And I think they must have chosen that, or at least saved it until that moment. It was a controlled thing. It was inside of the warehouse at Stone Street, which was the studio down there. It’s an abandoned paint factory. It’s an old paint factory, and every time the wind blows, the windows rattle and stuff like that. But you know, there was champagne. I don’t think that was the end of principal photography, but it was definitely a wrap on the Hobbits. We went around as a crew, the Hobbits. So it was like, ‘Oh, the Hobbits are on set!’ Or, ‘The Hobbits are traveling to set.’ ‘Where are the Hobbits? Are the Hobbits eating again?'”

Astin’s memories of filming the movies are clearly a source of great pride and happiness for the actor. While Jackson’s follow-up movies in the franchise, The Hobbit series, were unable to reach the same heights of excellence, The Lord of the Rings trilogy continues to stand the test of time, and welcome fresh fans into the magical and heroic world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. This news comes from CinemaBlend.

Topics: Lord of the Rings

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