The Lord of the Rings Cast: Where Are They Now?
The Lord of the Rings Cast: Where Are They Now?
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Starring in the most ambitious film trilogy of all time certainly changes a career, but they’ve still gotta work. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the “Lord of the Rings” – where are they now? For this list, we’ll be looking at ten actors from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and seeing what they’ve been up to in recent years.
Sean Bean
One does not simply see Sean Bean and expect him to live. That was the case with Boromir, and it was certainly the case with Ned Stark. While Ned was a relatively small role in the grand scheme of things, he is perhaps the most important character of the series, both in terms of plot progression and cultural awareness. And Sean has certainly stayed busy since his time on “Game of Thrones.” He has appeared in movies like “Pixels” and “The Martian,” recent television shows like “The Oath” and “The Frankenstein Chronicles,” and even the video games “Civilization VI” and “Hitman 2.” In 2019 he will appear in a BBC war drama miniseries titled “World on Fire.”
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving can proudly declare his involvement in two of the most ambitious film trilogies of all time – “The Matrix” and “The Lord of the Rings.” He has continued his work in mega-blockbuster franchises, reprising his role as Elrond for “The Hobbit” trilogy, voicing Megatron in the “Transformers” series, and starring as Red Skull in “Captain America.” Luckily, he still finds time for some more serious work, and he earned critical acclaim and various awards for his roles in “The Dressmaker” and “Hacksaw Ridge.” In 2018, Hugo starred as Thaddeus Valentine in “Mortal Engines” and David Melrose in the Showtime drama “Patrick Melrose” where he played the father of fellow MCU buddy Benedict Cumberbatch. Now isn’t that just adorable?
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, and it’s easy to see why. Since “The Lord of the Rings,” Cate has won two Academy Awards, three BAFTAs and three Golden Globes, not to mention a place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She earned these awards for her work in “The Aviator,” “I’m Not There,” and “Blue Jasmine,” the latter of which is her most acclaimed piece of work to date. However, Cate isn’t above some good blockbuster-y fun, as evident by her recent roles in “Cinderella,” “Ocean’s 8” and “Thor: Ragnarok.” In 2019 she voiced Valka in “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and starred in Richard Linklater’s comedy-mystery “Where’d You Go, Bernadette.”
Dominic Monaghan & Billy Boyd
We could split these two up, but we could also keep them together, and let’s be honest, that’s how they’re meant to be. Billy Boyd has remained relatively quiet since playing Pippin, making quick one-episode appearances on various TV shows and starring in small, independent movies. Meanwhile, Dom has kept pretty busy, mostly by producing and starring in his own nature documentary series called “Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan.” He has also been cast in an undisclosed role in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” so we guess he’s back to the blockbusters! And we’re happy to report that Billy and Dom remain close friends and continue to see each other on a regular basis. We know that’s what you really care about.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom took his “Lord of the Rings” fame and ran with it, becoming one of the leading faces of epic historical drama and fantasy. He starred in epic movies like “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Troy,” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series before sort of just…disappearing. He didn’t re-emerge into the mainstream until 2013, when he reprised his role as Legolas for “The Hobbit” trilogy. In 2019, he will star in a fantasy series on Amazon Video called “Carnival Row” alongside Cara Delevingne. But perhaps his biggest accomplishment is landing Katy Perry – despite being on-and-off since 2016, Katy confirmed their engagement in February 2019. Meanwhile, his on-screen pal Gimli, AKA John Rhys-Davies, recently provided the voice of the Brine King in “Aquaman.”
Andy Serkis
Andy Serkis is the undisputed king of motion capture. Not only did he basically originate the concept with Gollum, he continued to act as some of the most iconic motion-captured characters, including King Kong, Caesar, and Snoke. And to the delight of absolutely everyone, Serkis has broken out as a traditional actor as well thanks to his role in the MCU as Ulysses Klaue. Serkis has also started dabbling behind the scenes, as he was as a producer for Netflix’s “The Ritual,” a second unit director on “The Hobbit” trilogy, the motion capture consultant for “Godzilla,” AND the director of Netflix’s “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.” The man is basically taking over Hollywood at this point.
Viggo Mortensen
Aside from “The Lord of the Rings,” Viggo Mortensen isn’t really one for Hollywood blockbusters. He has mostly stuck to smaller, more prestigious films and has worked with David Cronenberg on three movies, all of which have earned him critical acclaim. And speaking of critical acclaim, Viggo has since been nominated for three Academy Awards for his work in “Eastern Promises,” “Captain Fantastic,” and “Green Book,” although he has unfortunately failed to win. In 2019, he began shooting his writing and directorial debut, a drama film called “Falling” starring himself and Lance Henriksen. It seems like Viggo is much like Aragorn – quiet, introspective, and poetic. Talk about perfect casting.
Sean Astin
Everyone give it up for the real hero! Like Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin kind of disappeared from the spotlight around 2006. After “Lord of the Rings,” Sean became Adam Sandler’s buddy and starred alongside him in “50 First Dates” and “Click.” And while he continued acting in various productions, he didn’t land another major role until 2012, when he voiced Raphael in Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Since then we have enjoyed a bit of a Seanaissance, as he’s starred in both “The Strain” and season 2 of “Stranger Things.” In 2019 he starred in the Netflix sitcom “No Good Nick” and appeared in one episode of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” It seems like he’s returning to his comedic roots, and we have no problem with that.
Ian McKellen
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Ian McKellen has perhaps the most diverse filmography of all time, and he’s still going strong. Since “The Lord of the Rings,” Ian has concluded his time in the “X-Men” series, although he reprised his role as Gandalf for the “The Hobbit” trilogy, despite being in his 70s. He’s done theater and Shakespeare, and he recently garnered acclaim for his role as King Lear. He’s done small dramas like “Mr. Holmes.” And he’s done children’s fantasy, playing Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast.” In 2019 he will play Gus in the film adaptation of “Cats” alongside an A-list cast that includes Idris Elba and Taylor Swift. The man does it all, and he never stops. He’s a legend.
Elijah Wood
And what of Mr. Frodo himself? While Frodo disappeared to the Undying Lands, Elijah avoided a possible typecast by doing some surprisingly eccentric work. While he’s done a few mainstream movies, like “Happy Feet,” he’s mostly stuck to unusual television. From 2011 to 2014 he starred in “Wilfred,” a show about a man who sees his neighbor’s dog as a human in a dog costume. And he recently concluded “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency,” a weird action-comedy-sci-fi hybrid about a psychic detective who solves supernatural mysteries. It’s not all movies and TV, however. Elijah also co-founded a production company called SpectreVision and produced the outrageous “Mandy.” It’s all pretty out-there stuff for the protagonist of the most ambitious film trilogy of all time.
