The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien novel series – is a familiar name to everyone, even those without any affinity for the fantasy adventure genre. The epic has been brought to big screens many times, and its fans are always willing to click replay to watch it one more time. In honor of the latest story released in 2022, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power“, let’s look back to the very first movie of the series. Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” is a box office hit in 2001. The hit has won 13 Oscar nominations and 4 statuettes and laid the foundation for two other volumes.
Scroll down to see 8 stars in the 2001 epic then vs. now!
#1 Cate Blanchett
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Blanchett starred as the ethereal beauty Galadriel in the epic. She was the one who consulted Frodo in many situations and motivated him in the darkest moments of his duty.
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Cate Blanchett has become one of the greatest actresses of her generation with brilliant performances in many movies like “Ocean’s 8,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” and “Cinderella.” The actress has brought home two Oscars in 2005 and 2014. She now enjoys her life with the playwright and screenwriter Andrew Upton and their four children.
#2 Sir Ian McKellen
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Sir Ian McKellen played Gandalf, the wise wizard giving Frodo and his friend Sam the dangerous mission with the ring.
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Sir Ian McKellen has worked on many projects like Shakespeare adaptations, Hollywood blockbusters, and Disney hits. In 2012, the actor revealed his six-year battle with prostate cancer. He was given an honorary doctorate of letters from Cambridge University in 2014 for his active support for global LGBTQ rights
#3 Elijah Wood
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Elijah Wood took the role of Frodo Baggins, the young hobbit responsible for returning the One Ring to Mordor. His journey was basically the core of the tale.
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After the film, the actor starred in several TV projects such as “Wilfred” and BBC America’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”. He also participated in animated projects and indie films including “Celeste & Jesse Forever”. He founded the film production company SpectreVision in 2015 and welcomed his first child with the Danish producer Mette-Marie Kongsved 4 years later.
#4 John Rhys-Davies
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John Rhys-Davies portrayed the bearded dwarf Gimli, who kept an unrequited love for Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel.
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The star was famous for his roles in “Aquaman,” “Anaconda 3: Offspring” and “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.” He also appeared on shows like “Once Upon a Time” and “The Shannara Chronicles” and voiced characters in kid-friendly fare like “SpongeBob SquarePants.” The actor and his late wife, Suzanne Wilkinson, had two children. Since his wife died in 2010, he had one daughter with longtime partner Lisa Manning.
#5 Viggo Mortensen
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Viggo Mortensen featured Aragorn, a courageous warrior and healer who became the leader of the Rangers of the North.
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The actor continued with many movies such as “Captain Fantastic” and”Hidalgo”. He received his third Academy Award nomination for his role in “Green Book” in 2019. The star is also in charge of a publishing company, Perceval Press, and has written multiple books. He had a son with his ex-wife, Exene Cervenka before going out with Spanish actress Ariadna Gil since 2009
#6 Sean Astin
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Frodo’s best friend, hobbit gardener Samwise Gamgee, was played by Sean Astin. This character was a loyal and lovely guy who always had Frodo’s back during the dangerous journey.
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Since then, Sean Astin has devoted himself to the cinematic industry by participating in many movies, including his well-known roles in the TV series “Stranger Things” and “24.” In addition, he voiced several characters in animated projects such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Justice League Action.
#7 Liv Tyler
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Liv Tyler was the elf maiden Arwen, who sacrificed her elven immortality for her love, impervious to her father’s objections.
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The beauty went on to appear in a variety of movies, rangy from “Armageddon” and the romantic dramedy “Jersey Girl” to the horror flick “The Strangers.” She dated Spacehog rocker Royston Langdon and married him in 2003. The couple had a son Milo one year later, but they were drafted apart in 2008. She went out with the British sports agent Dave Gardner in 2014 and had two kids.
#8 Dominic Monaghan
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Dominic Monaghan was one of Frodo’s distant cousins named Merry Brandybuck. Though he was an annoying troublemaker, he was also a brave fighter.
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After “Lord of the Rings”, he participated in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” He was a contributing writer for the monthly music and entertainment magazine Paste. He also produced several projects like the 2012 film “The Millionaire Tour” and the 2014 docuseries “Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan.” Interestingly, the star bought a mango-tree forest in India as part of a conservation effort.
Have you watched “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”? If you haven’t, don’t hesitate to give it a shot to see how these famous figures were in the early years of their career! Comment your thoughts below and subscribe to our site for more intriguing news!
