It’s been almost 20 years since the first The Lord of the Rings movie came out, stealing the hearts of all fantasy-lovers in the world. Everyone was impressed with the brilliant cast and outstanding work done by Peter Jackson, who marked the beginning of the new era in fantasy cinema. Still, 20 years is a long time and as much as we love the movie, its cast had to move on to other projects. Here is the cast of The Lord of the Rings – now and then.
Viggo Mortensen – Aragorn
Aragorn is one of the most inspiring characters in The Lord of the Rings. Born to be a king, he made it his duty to protect Frodo and make sure he safely destroys the ring everyone was after. And don’t get me started on his romantic relationship with Arwen, the elf-maiden! After The Lord of the Rings ended he kept busy with different movies, staying away from the action-packed genre. His most memorable recent roles were in Captain Fantastic and Green Book, which told the story of an American bouncer travelling with a jazz pianist Don Shirley the south of America.
Orlando Bloom – Legolas
It wasn’t that hard for Orlando Bloom to shake off the role of Legolas, an elf with outstanding fighting prowess and tracking abilities. The role grabbed attention not only of movie fans, but of critics as well. He went on taking parts in various movies, becoming one of the leading actors in another adventure-fantasy franchise – Pirates of the Caribbean. He also took part in The Hobbit trilogy, making a comeback as Legolas once again. One of his latest works is in a fantasy show about fairies, The Carnival Row. He seems to like the genre quite a lot!
Liv Tyler – Lady Arwen
Liv Tyler played Arwen Undomiel, a beautiful elf-maiden and a daughter of Elrond, the King of Rivendell. She helped Frodo when he was in danger and then refused to leave Middle Earth with her father and other elves, who were leaving for the Blessed Realm to live there forever. She chose a mortal life and her love for Aragorn, whom she later married. After The Lord of the Rings she went on starring in The Strangers, The Incredible Hulk, and Ad Astra. She also had prominent roles in TV shows like The Leftovers and The Harlots.
Sean Bean – Boromir
Sean Bean is a remarkable actor, that’s why it is so upsetting to see most of his characters die sooner rather than later. Still, starring as Boromir was a welcome change for him as it was different from the bad guys he used to play before. After that Sean Bean starred in movies like Equilibrium, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Jupiter Ascending, and The Martian, just to name the few. Of course, there’s also the stellar role of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. But he, unfortunately, his character was also killed in the beginning of the show.
Cate Blanchett – Galadriel
The voice of Galadriel, the gorgeous Elven Queen, is the first thing we hear in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. She explains how the Rings of Power were created and what were the consequences. We also see her help Frodo and his dream team move forward with their task. After that beautiful role, Cate Blanchett has starred in numerous movies from The Aviator to Blue Jasmine that got her an Oscar Award for the Best Actress. She challenges herself with both post-modernistic roles like the one she pulled off in Manifesto, and fun mainstream ones like in Thor: Ragnarok. She will also appear in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming movie Nightmare Alley and Borderland, a live-action adaptation of the famous game.
Ian McKellen – Gandalf
Sir Ian McKellen has appeared in all adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, playing Gandalf, the wizard responsible for the start of Frodo’s action-packed adventure. The actor is never short of work, playing in both movies and theatre plays. After The Lord of the Rings he went on starring in a plethora of movies. Some of his most memorable appearances include X Men, The Hobbit Trilogy, Mr. Holmes, Beauty and the Beast, The Good Liar, and Cats. Although, the last one was a flop, Ian McKellen’s performance was still good!
Elijah Wood – Frodo
Playing one of the leading roles definitely sky-rocketed Elijah Woods’ career to new heights. In The Lord of the Rings he played Frodo Baggins, the courageous hobbit who took upon himself the duty to destroy the dangerous ring and defeat Sauron once and for all. After the trilogy ended he continued to appear on screen, taking up weird and funny roles in movies (Colour Our of Space, I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore) and TV shows (Wilfred, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency).
Miranda Otto – Eowyn
Miranda Otto played the character of Eowyn, who first appears in The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, when the action takes place in the kingdom of Rohan. She’s a gorgeous lady who is not afraid to speak her mind and she can use a sword better than most men! She proved her fighting prowess by taking down one of the Nightriders all by herself, uttering the famous line “I am no man” as she revealed there was a woman hiding under all the armour. After that Miranda Otto appeared in a bunch of movies and TV shows, including War of the Worlds, Homeland, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, where she played Sabrina’s aunt, Zelda Spellman.
Andy Serkis – Gollum
Andy Serkis made a truly stellar performance as Gollum, proving that motion-capture is an essential instrument in creating powerful roles. He really showcased his art in this role, which allowed him to land other motion-capture roles in reboots of The Planet Of The Apes and The Hobbit, as well as performing live in Black Panther. He will also direct Venom 2, which proves that he has a lot more to offer the movie industry than just acting.