Sean Astin - Samwise
New York, USA, October 2003
What is your character's
defining moment ?
Sam has a moment at the end of the first film and a moment at the end of the
second film, and I think two or three moments in the third film that are his
character-defining moments : when something has to give, when he has to decide
what he's gonna do, and he chooses to do the right thing. I don't wan to talk
about it and spoil it.
Describe Peter Jackson in
three words.
Totally fucking cool.
Are your Rings colleagues
going to be friends for life ?
Yeah.
Why do you think Rings has
been so successful ?
Because so much passion and dedication was put into them. You just can't
overstate the volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's life's work, and how the ideas and
characters and story resonate with people. But to just answer it simply, for the
sake of an interview question : because the films were made with love.
What is your favourite piece
of Lord Of The Rings memorabilia ?
They gave me Sam's pack with his pots and pans and bedroll... I carried that
thing around with me for 18 months, so it's nice to know it will be in my home !
What was the toughest thing
you had to do ?
The toughest thing was just being so fat and having to be agile, having lost the
natural elasticity of my body by putting on 30, 35, 40, lb for the part. Your
body doesn't handle the way it should around corners. So that was the hardest
thing. And just the sheer endurance of the process, trying to keep it fresh and
keep yourself up and awake and alive.
How does it feel to say
goodbye ?
A little sad. It's hopefully not that I love Sam too much... I don't know, it's
a movement, it's a way of life - it's half a decade of all of our lives and it's
coming to a close. It's a little bittersweet and sad and melancholy at times,
and then exhilarating and relieving - we're ready to start some new adventure.