Actor Elijah Wood, best known for his iconic role as Frodo Baggins in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, recently made a surprising revelation about his salary for the blockbuster franchise.
Speaking with Business Insider at the 2025 Texas Film Awards, Wood shared that his pay for the trilogy was not as substantial as many fans might assume, given the films’ monumental success.
The 44-year-old actor said, "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".
Wood explained that the cast's salaries were modest because director Peter Jackson and the makers took a significant gamble by filming all three movies back-to-back. This approach meant there was no opportunity to renegotiate contracts based on the box office performance of the first film. Despite earning nearly $3 billion globally, the actors did not see their pay increase proportionally to the franchise's success.
While Wood did not confirm exact figures, previous reports suggest he earned a base salary of $250,000 for all three films. Co-star Orlando Bloom in an earlier interview on The Howard Stern Show disclosed that he received $175,000 for his role as Legolas and Sean Astin earned approximately $250,000 for playing Samwise Gamgee.
Wood described his experience of working in 'Lord of the Rings' as one of the best experiences of his life as he shared that it "doesn’t matter" because the experience and impact of 'The Lord of the Rings' on his career were invaluable.
Speaking with Business Insider at the 2025 Texas Film Awards, Wood shared that his pay for the trilogy was not as substantial as many fans might assume, given the films’ monumental success.
The 44-year-old actor said, "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".
Wood explained that the cast's salaries were modest because director Peter Jackson and the makers took a significant gamble by filming all three movies back-to-back. This approach meant there was no opportunity to renegotiate contracts based on the box office performance of the first film. Despite earning nearly $3 billion globally, the actors did not see their pay increase proportionally to the franchise's success.
While Wood did not confirm exact figures, previous reports suggest he earned a base salary of $250,000 for all three films. Co-star Orlando Bloom in an earlier interview on The Howard Stern Show disclosed that he received $175,000 for his role as Legolas and Sean Astin earned approximately $250,000 for playing Samwise Gamgee.
Wood described his experience of working in 'Lord of the Rings' as one of the best experiences of his life as he shared that it "doesn’t matter" because the experience and impact of 'The Lord of the Rings' on his career were invaluable.
You may also like
'Use Starlink as bargaining chip': AAP leader Raghav Chadha's advise to Centre on dealing with Donald Trump's tariffs
Exact date millions of Nationwide customers will get free £50 cash payment
'I struggled to find a team growing up – now I'm an Arsenal star and England record-breaker'
Keir Starmer issues warning to Donald Trump over UK response to explosive tariffs
Lucy Letby medical experts publish bombshell report claiming nurse killed NO babies
