Elijah Wood has shared that while the Lord of the Rings films went on to become box office blockbusters, the cast’s salaries didn’t reflect it.
In August last year, Cate Blanchett, who played the elf Galadriel, spoke about the low pay saying: “No one got paid anything to do that movie. I basically got free sandwiches, and I got to keep my ears as pay,” she joked on Watch What Happens Live.
Wood said he agreed with what Blanchett had said but added context around why the pay was low despite the movies doing so well.
“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, who played one of the trilogy’s leads – the hobbit Frodo – told Business Insider at the 2025 Texas Film Awards.
The films, directed by Peter Jackson and released in the early noughties, brought in $2.9bn (£2.2bn) worldwide. Made on a budget of about $281m (£214m), the films went on to spawn several spinoffs, including the Hobbit trilogy and the Rings of Power TV series.
Wood explained that production company New Line Cinema had taken “a real gamble” on the massive ensemble cast for the trilogy which included the likes of Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, and Sean Bean.
Describing the trade-off as “understandable”, Wood said the studio cushioned the risk by the cast’s “not massive salaries”.
Since the cast members were shooting the films back-to-back, it left them no opportunity to renegotiate their contracts if the films did well.
“The benefit of that was that we were also signing up for something that was going to be a part of our lives forever,” he said.
Asked about rumours that he was paid $250,000 (£190,000) for The Fellowship of the Ring, Wood disputed the figure, but didn’t share more.
“It doesn't matter,” he said.
However, other cast members have spoken about their salaries previously. In 2019, Orlando Bloom, who was cast as the elf Legolas when he was 22, said on The Howard Stern Show that he received $175,000 (£133,000) for all three films.
“Nothing, nothing, nothing. I got nothing. $175 grand for three movies… No listen, greatest gift of my life, are you kidding me? Would do it again for half the money,” he said.
Sean Astin, who played Frodo’s loyal companion Samwise Gamgee, said in 2017 he got $250,000 (£190,000) for the trilogy, and even ended up selling his house.
“I did the audition process and got offered 'Lord of the Rings' and it was an offer for $250,000 for a year and a half,” he said on the Jim & Sam Show, adding that his mortgage was $250,000 a year, which he couldn’t afford on this salary.
“And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, my pen signed this contract which obligated me to $250,000 a year and I'm gonna sign this contract which will make it so that I absolutely cannot satisfy that other thing.’”
“So it was $75,000 (£75,000) a movie. No residuals.”
On Blanchett’s comment, Wood said it was “hilarious” and was made in jest.
“Statements like that are not made with any kind of ire. It’s such an honour to have been a part of those films and they represent some of the best experiences of my life.”
Cate Blanchett has a controversial idea for the future of awards shows
Amazon says new James Bond is ‘getting started’ as ‘exotic new chapter’ promised
Val Kilmer’s family say star was bedbound for years before his death
Tom Cruise ‘cried’ during emotional reunion with Val Kilmer on Top Gun: Maverick
John Lennon’s son Sean brutally hits out at Snow White star Rachel Zegler
Carrie Coon didn’t return to Avengers: Endgame over Marvel pay dispute
