Sean Astin got paid such a “small amount” for LotR that he sold his house

TV & Movies Sean Astin got paid such a “small amount” for LotR that he sold his house by Nathan Warby Published: Jul 27, 2026, 14:47 Save for later Save for later New Line Cinema Get Notifications for TV & Movies News Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin has revealed he had to sell his house, as he didn’t earn much money for appearing in the trilogy. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most beloved film series of all time. It earned over $2 billion at the box office and the final film of the original three, The Return of the King, scooped 11 Academy Awards. Meanwhile, the cast were propelled into stardom, with many going on to have successful Hollywood careers after leaving Middle-earth. However, while the series was a smash hit, the actors involved weren’t paid as much as you might expect. Samwise Gamgee actor sold his house after Lord of the Rings In an interview with The Guardian , Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee in all three of the original trilogy, admitted that while starring in LotR gave him “a level of visibility and access” he wasn’t expecting, this didn’t translate to a huge salary. “There was a disconnect between the attention I was getting and how much money we had. It was not a lot of money!” he said. “In fact, I had to sell my house because I negotiated such a small amount on the trilogy.” New Line Cinema In previous interviews, Astin explained that he was paid around $250,000 in total for the three projects, and has received no residuals in the years since. This means he hasn’t benefited from the franchise’s long-lasting success and re-releases. While he was hardly an unknown, as he appeared as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies in 1985, his work as Sam earned him plenty of praise and opened the door for future roles. He has since appeared as Bob Newby in Stranger Things Season 2 and Raphael in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Related Lord of the Rings 25th anniversary coins have genius Sauron Easter egg Elijah Wood pitches Frodo fight in The Hunt for Gollum Andy Serkis says success of Clair Obscur is ending Hollywood “snobbery” about video games As a result of these roles, he told The Guardian that he’s now “very financially comfortable.” It’s been 25 years since The Fellowship of the Ring hit theatres in 2001, and the UK created a series of special coins to mark the occasion . Meanwhile, fans can look forward to another entry in the series, The Hunt for Gollum, starring Jamie Dornan as Aragorn .