Sean Astin says low 'Lord of the Rings' pay led him to sell his house

Sean Astin has revealed that his pay for The Lord of the Rings trilogy was so low that he was forced to sell his house, despite the films becoming one of the most successful franchises in cinema history.

The actor, who portrayed Samwise Gamgee across all three films, reflected on his earnings during an interview with The Guardian.

While the trilogy earned more than $2 billion at the global box office and helped make its cast internationally recognised, Astin said the financial rewards did not match the attention he received.

“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.”

Astin has previously explained that he received around $250,000 in total for appearing in all three films.

He also said he has not received residual payments from the franchise in the years since, meaning he has not shared financially in its continued success through re-releases and its enduring popularity.

Although the salary was modest, Astin said starring in The Lord of the Rings gave him “a level of visibility and access” that he had not expected. His performance as Samwise Gamgee remains one of the trilogy's most acclaimed roles.

Before joining Middle-earth, Astin was already known to audiences for playing Mikey Walsh in the 1985 adventure film The Goonies.

Following The Lord of the Rings, he went on to appear as Bob Newby in Stranger Things season two and voiced Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Astin told The Guardian that his later career has left him “very financially comfortable.”

The actor's comments come as interest in the fantasy franchise continues ahead of The Hunt for Gollum, while fans also celebrate 25 years since The Fellowship of the Ring first arrived in cinemas in 2001.