Sean Astin Says ‘I Had to Sell My House’ During ‘Lord of the Rings’ Era Because $250,000 Payday Was So Low: ‘I Negotiated Such a Small Amount on the Trilogy’

Jul 27, 2026 2:20pm PT Sean Astin Says ‘I Had to Sell My House’ During ‘Lord of the Rings’ Era Because $250,000 Payday Was So Low: ‘I Negotiated Such a Small Amount on the Trilogy’

By Zack Sharf

Plus Icon

Zack Sharf

Digital News Director

ZSharf

Latest

• Sean Astin Says ‘I Had to Sell My House’ During ‘Lord of the Rings’ Era Because $250,000 Payday Was So Low: ‘I Negotiated Such a Small Amount on the Trilogy’ 40 minutes ago
• Ryan Gosling Pitched His Own ‘Ghost Rider’ Movie to Marvel as Studio Slows Down Output to Restore Quality: ‘When Quantity Is So Much, You Get Spread Thin’ 1 hour ago
• Olivia Wilde Slams Elon Musk as a ‘Creature’ and Says ‘I Deeply Resent Him Now,’ Years After Meeting at SpaceX Headquarters 5 days ago

See All

©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

Sean Astin said in a new interview with The Guardian that he was forced to sell his house amid “The Lord of the Rings” fame in the early 2000s because he negotiated such a small salary to play Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s landmark movie trilogy. The reveal may come as a shock to fans considering the “Rings” movies were cultural phenomenons that grossed $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office between 2001 and 2003.

“I was not prepared for that level of visibility and access,” Astin told the publication. “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.”

Popular on Variety

Related Stories

'Bob's Burgers' to Unveil New Holiday Short 'On the Fort Day of Christmas' This Year on Hulu