Elijah Wood says the Lord of the Rings cast got hobbit-sized paychecks

The original Lord of the Rings trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office. But when it comes down to what the ensemble cast made. While we don’t know the exact figures of what those of the Fellowship and in the Shire took home, we do know that it was nothing to get them from the hobbit-holes to the Hollywood hills.

As Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) told Business Insider, the lower paychecks were a result of the bigger picture that Peter Jackson had lined up for The Lord of the Rings. “Because we weren’t making one movie and then renegotiating a contract for the next, it wasn’t the sort of lucrative scenario that you could sort of rest easy for the rest of your life.” Instead of a fat check, Wood was in it for the story and magic that would be presented on the screen, adding, “The benefit of that was that we were also signing up for something that was going to be a part of our lives forever…It’s such an honor to have been a part of those films, and they represent some of the best experiences of my life.” As for fellow co-star Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), she says her pay was basically getting fed sandwiches every day. Poor Galadriel!

Some reports put Elijah Wood’s Lord of the Rings paycheck at a quarter-million dollars, although he’s far too humble to chat money in such specifics. Whatever he made is ultimately none of our business when it comes down to it; what is is his passion for all things cinema. Wood has continued to endorse and latch onto projects that he genuinely cares about. It’s why he is one of the biggest proponents of genre movies out there right now, with his SpectreVision production company giving us films like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Mandy, The Greasy Strangler, and more.

As for more Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood has shown his excitement for the upcoming projects and even expressed interest in returning with his original crew. Of course, money might talk this time…

How would you rank the original Lord of the Rings trilogy? Where does Elijah Wood shine the brightest?

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