Sean Astin’s LOTR Paycheck Was So Low He Had to Sell His House

Remember when Sean Astin was EVERYWHERE after playing Samwise Gamgee in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy? Yeah, well, turns out the studio was basically paying him in pocket change. The actor just revealed that his payday from the franchise was shockingly tiny — so small he actually had to sell his home during the height of his fame.

“There was a disconnect between the attention that I was getting and how much money we had,” Astin said. Translation: He was the face of one of the biggest film franchises ever, but his bank account didn’t match the hype.

It’s wild to think about how major studios were raking in billions while the actors who made these movies iconic were basically scraping by. Astin wasn’t alone in this, but hearing him be so candid about having to make major life changes like selling his home? That’s a reality check nobody expected.