The Lord of the Rings Cast: Then & Now – What They've Been Up To! |⭐ OSSA

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy remains an untouchable fantasy masterpiece. But it's been 21 years since the return of the King, and the cast's lives have changed a lot. Who secretly tied the knot? Will Viggo Mortensen return as Aragorn? I didn't say that. And what new adventure are Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd embarking on together? Grab your Lembas bread and join us on a journey through Middle-earth then and now. Elijah Wood as Frodo Before The Lord of the Rings, he was already a successful child actor. But let's be real, playing Frodo took his fame to a whole new level. Since then, he's taken on major roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Everything is Illuminated, and led TV shows like Wilfred and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Recently, he's dabbled in horror with The Monkey in Yellow Jackets. But despite decades in the industry, Elijah still gets pre-shoot jitters. The first day of any film, any new film or TV show, whatever it is, first day of work, I'm always anxious. Even with an impressive resume, it's nice to see he still takes his craft seriously. Now, when he's not acting, Elijah keeps his personal life precious. But surprise, he's officially off the market. Wood secretly tied the knot with his longtime love. Film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved. According to TMZ, the couple had an intimate New Year's Eve wedding in Sweden, surrounded by about 80 close friends and family. Elijah is also a proud dad of two, and fatherhood suits him well. I'm beyond grateful for my family and my kids and my wife. Like, they are such an extension of me. They are the most important people in my life. And if you're wondering, yes, he still keeps in touch with his Lord of the Rings mates. We actually have a text that's constantly going with Dom, Billy and Sean. It's literally in my phone as The Hobbit. If we're not texting each other about something, we also do the New York Times crossword mini every day, and we try and beat each other for time. Speaking of them, let's check in on the rest of the gang. Sean Astin as Sam? Like his co-star, the actor started young, starring in classics like The Goonies and Rudy. Since Lord of the Rings, Astin has built a solid filmography with movies like 50 First Dates and Click. TV-wise, you probably loved him as Bob Newby in Stranger Things or Sonny Grice in Perry Mason. Recently, he saddled up for the Western Guns of Redemption and reunited with his Goonies co-star, Ki-Hwe Kwan, after 40 years in Love Hurts. Sean Astin, ladies and gentlemen. But wait, there's more. In late 2024, Sean made his Broadway debut as Santa Claus in Elf the Musical. And his Christmas spirit didn't stop there. He even appeared in Sabrina Carpenter's holiday special. And guess what? It was his daughters who made him do it. It was Elizabeth and Bella, the younger ones, and Elizabeth was like, Dad, I don't know. Two things. Why are you trying to sabotage your career? And two, why are you trying to hurt my heart? Why wouldn't you do this Sabrina Carpenter thing? And I'm like, I don't know. Speaking of family, Sean and his wife, Christine Harrell, have been married for 32 years. They met when he was just 19. And to this day, they still gush over each other. The couple shares three daughters. And fun fact, their eldest, Alexandra, had a cameo in The Return of the King as Eleanor Gamgee, Sam's daughter. Now let's check in on the rest of the fellowship. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. Even the mighty King of Gondor once needed a little career advice from his own kid. Back in 1999, Viggo got a call about some fantasy movie called The Lord of the Rings. He had no clue what it was and wasn't thrilled about spending so much time away from his family. But then his son, Henry, a huge fan of the books, insisted that his father had to accept the role. And just like that, Middle Earth got its perfect Aragorn. So, the moral of the story. Always listen to your kids. Henry is Viggo's son from his previous marriage to musician Exene Cervenka. These days, the actor has been in a long-term relationship with Spanish actress Ariadna Gil since 2009. As for his career, the 66-year-old King is still ruling the big screen. He's taken on powerful roles in The Road, Captain Fantastic, and Green Book. Most recently, he wrote, directed, and starred in the Western film The Dead Don't Hurt. We wanted to explore that a little bit. What happens to women and girls when their partners go off to war, or their dads, or their brothers. But acting isn't Viggo's only passion. He's a poet, photographer, musician, and a master of languages. Fluent in English, Spanish, Danish, and French, he also dabbles in Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Italian, and Arabic. And now for the big news. Aragorn may be writing back into action. Reports say Mortensen could return to his role in The Lord of the Rings, The Hunt for Gollum. Expected in 2026. Honestly, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn, but it will be completely and entirely up to Viggo. And what does the King himself say? I mean, I'm open to it, sure. I had a good experience working on that. Now let's talk about his on-screen elven love. Liv Tyler as Arwen. After enchanting us as elven beauty, the actress continued to shine on the big screen in Jersey Girl, The Incredible Hulk, and Ad Astra. She also made waves on TV with roles in The Leftovers, Harlots, and 911 Lone Star. And now she's back in the MCU. Tyler reprised her role as Betty Ross in Captain America Brave New World, nearly 15 years after The Incredible Hulk. I've taken a break from acting for the past few years, and I've been home with my children. And it was just such a lovely way, sort of after COVID and everything, to come back to something so special. Speaking of family, Liv became a mom just one year after Lord of the Rings wrapped. She welcomed her son Milo in 2004 with then-husband Royston Langdon. Later, she had two more children, Sailor Jean and Lula Rose, with now ex-fiancé David Gardner. But the 47-year-old isn't just a Hollywood star, she's also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, using her platform to help children worldwide. And of course, Tyler has been the face of Givenchy for years, bringing that elven elegance to the world of perfume and cosmetics. And now let's move on to... Orlando Bloom as Legolas. On screen, our favorite elf warrior didn't find love. But in real life, that's a different story. Bloom has been happily engaged to pop superstar Katy Perry since 2019, and together they're raising their daughter Daisy Dove. She definitely demands that I evolve, right? And I feel I do the same for her. And that makes for fireworks, pardon the pun, but it also makes for a lot of fun, and a lot of growth. Orlando also has a son, Flynn, from his previous marriage to model Miranda Kerr. And when it comes to his career, still going strong. Since his days as Legolas, he jumped into another legendary franchise as Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean. His latest projects include Prime Video's fantasy series Carnival Row and the film The Cut. And up next, he's set to appear in Wizards alongside Pete Davidson and Naomi Scott. But Orlando's impact goes beyond Hollywood. As another UNICEF goodwill ambassador, he's dedicated to humanitarian causes and even visited Ukraine amid the Russian invasion. Okay, who's next? John Rhys-Davies as Gimli? Yeah, he absolutely nailed the role of our favorite stout-hearted dwarf. But did you know he also pulled double duty as the voice of Treebeard? And for Rhys-Davies, the trilogy remains one of his favorite experiences. At 80 years old, would he ever return to Middle Earth? He's open to it, but with one condition. If I don't have to spend eight hours a day for three years of my life in a makeup chair, I might indeed do it. The other thing is physically, Beyond Lord of the Rings, John boasts an extensive resume. You may have seen him in The Shannara Chronicles, Documentary Now, or The Princess Diaries 2. And in 2023, he reprised his iconic role as Sala in Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, a character he first played back in 1989. As for his personal life, Rhys-Davies married Suzanne Wilkinson in 1966, and they had two sons together. Though they legally separated in 1985, they remained married and close friends until her passing in 2010. In 2004, he found love again with Lisa Manning, and together they share a daughter, Maya. But what about the Lady of the Golden Wood? The 55-year-old holds the title of the most Oscar-nominated cast member, with eight nods and two wins. Kate has had a remarkably consistent career, but she acknowledges that longevity for women in Hollywood wasn't always guaranteed. The shelf life of actresses when I first came on the scene was about five years, and she's happy that things are changing. There's more females in the writing room, and the more diverse the industry is at base level when things are developed, the more exciting it is for audiences. Since her breakthrough in Elizabeth, Blanchett has been a part of powerful projects like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Carol, and Tar. Her latest film is Black Bag, where she plays a spy opposite Michael Fassbender. But in real life, she'd be a terrible secret agent. I can't keep my powder dry. Like if I hear something that is so outrageous, I need to share how outrageous that is. Kate has been married to playwright, screenwriter, and director Andrew Upton for 27 years. But their wedding photos? That's a whole story. When we got married, we had absolutely no money. We couldn't have a photographer, and we had two friends who were photographers, one who got so drunk he forgot to load. Filming the camera, and the other one had such a good time that he didn't take any pictures. Now she's actually grateful that she only has one wedding photo. But in the end, I'm kind of quite pleased that I don't have any pictures because I then constantly try and recall the evening. The spouses share three sons and one daughter, but they keep their kids out of the spotlight. Let's move on to actors who became besties off screen. Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd as Mary and Pippin. Forgive us for grouping these two hobbits together, but they've done so much as a duo. From 2021 to 2022, they co-hosted their podcast, The Friendship Onion, before putting it on hold to pursue other projects. One of those? A thrilling audio drama, Moriarty the Devil's Game. They also reunited on stage in a Canadian production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. And if that's not enough, the two now co-host a food travel show called Billy and Dom Eat the World. If you ask someone to bring you something from their childhood or their country, it opens a door to conversation. We felt food is a great in to finding out about people and communities. But while they love working together, they've also built solo careers. Boyd played Chucky's innocent offspring in Seat of Chucky, portrayed Banquo in Macbeth, and even lent his musical talents to The Hobbit, The Battle of the Five Armies. And when he's not acting, he's the front man of the band B-Cake. At 56, Billy has been married to his longtime partner, Alison McKinnon, since 2010, and they share a son together. Monaghan, on the other hand, made a huge splash as Charlie Pace on Lost. He later played Bolt in X-Men Origins Wolverine, and even appeared in the Rihanna and Eminem music video Love the Way You Lie. In 2019, he entered another massive franchise, Star Wars, starring as resistance trooper Beaumont in The Rise of Skywalker. At 48, Dominic has never been married and doesn't have children. It's unclear if he's currently in a relationship, but we do know this. He loves spending time outdoors hunting for insects and reptiles. And now, we have the man who saved these hobbits at the cost of his own life, Sean Bean as Boromir. With over 25 on-screen deaths, he's practically Hollywood's most killable actor. From Boromir's tragic last stand in The Fellowship of the Ring to his infamous fate as Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, it's no wonder fans created the hashtag Don't Kill Sean Bean. But the actor? He's totally fine with it. I was playing some great characters, juicy, nasty pieces of work, and I thought I'd rather play them and die than play a mundane character that lives. However, he's reconsidering. It came to a point with all the memes and I thought, maybe I should stop dying as much. Even if his characters don't always survive, Sean's career does. His latest roles were in the series Snowpiercer and This City Is Ours. Bean's personal life has been just as eventful as his films. The 65-year-old divorced four times and has three children from previous marriages, but it seems he's finally found his happy ending. Up next is the actor who gave life to the twisted creature of The Ring, Andy Serkis as Gollum. At 60 years old, the actor can still slip through a crowd unnoticed, unlike most of his Lord of the Rings castmates. After all, his revolutionary performance as Gollum changed the entire film industry forever. Since then, he has mastered the art of motion capture, bringing to life Caesar in Planet of the Apes, Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars, and King Kong in Peter Jackson's film. The greatest mystery about performance capture is there is no mystery. It's the same as acting. Without CGI, Serkis has starred in Black Panther, The Batman, and Andor. But now he's returning to Middle Earth as director of The Hunt for Gollum. Outside the screen, Andy has been married to actress Lorraine Ashbourne since 2002, and their love for acting runs in the family. All three of their children are also actors. Okay, let's shift our focus to the courageous woman of the trilogy, Miranda Otto as Eowyn. After bringing the fearless shield maiden of Rohan to life, the actress continued to shine on both the big and small screen. Her notable projects include films The Silence, Talk to Me, and the series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Recently she appeared in Ladies in Black and Thou Shalt Not Steal. But her most exciting return? She voiced Eowyn in the 2024 animated film The War of the Rohirrim. I didn't really feel like I had to get ready to play Eowyn. She's a part of me. She'll always be a part of me. Off screen, Miranda is married to actor Peter O'Brien, whom she met while performing in A Doll's House. The couple shares a daughter and keeps their family life mostly private. Next, we'll talk about the elven lord whose wisdom guided the fellowship, Hugo Weaving as Elrond. Bad news, Lord of the Rings fans. The 64-year-old has no plans to return as half elven in the upcoming film. I spent too long in Middle-earth and I don't particularly want to go back there. So, it looks like we may be getting a new Elrond. Besides the trilogy, Hugo is best known as Agent Smith from The Matrix and William Rookwood from V for Vendetta, and most recently starred in the TV series Slow Horses and the film How to Make Gravy. As for his personal life, Weaving has been in a relationship with Katrina Greenwood since 1984, but they never tied the knot. You do or you don't know whether your relationship is solid. The couple shares two children, Harry and Holly, who were given their mother's surname as a stand against the patriarchy. Finally, how our favorite wizard is doing. Ian McKellen as Gandalf? The 85-year-old legend has built one of the most prolific careers. Of course, we all know and love him as Gandalf, but let's not forget his iconic roles as Magneto in X-Men, Sir Lee Teabing in The Da Vinci Code, and Number Two in The Prisoner. Yet despite years of brilliant performances, fans are still outraged that he doesn't have an Oscar. His latest two films include Hamlet Within, a reimagining of Shakespeare's classic, and The Critic, where he played the titular theater writer. I liked it the minute I read it because it's all set in the 1930s. I was born in the 1930s. And if that wasn't enough, he's been dominating the UK theater scene, starring in productions of Frank and Percy, Mother Goose, Hamlet, and King Lear. In his personal life, Sir Ian is openly gay. He publicly came out in 1988 during a radio interview on BBC. I feel sorry for any famous person who feels they can't come out. Being in the closet is silly. There's no need for it. Don't listen to your advisors. Listen to your heart. Most recently, McKellen had a whirlwind romance with much younger actor, Oscar Conlon-Morey, whom he met while starring in a 2022 pantomime production of Mother Goose. The pair quickly became smitten, and Conlon-Morey even gushed about their relationship on New Year's Eve, 2023. I saw in 2023 at the house of the new love of my life. However, the romance was short-lived as they reportedly called it quits. And that's it for this video. Are you excited about the upcoming movie from the universe? Share in the comments. And as always, stay awesome.