Then and Now: See the Cast of Lord of the Rings 20 Years Later

Elijah Wood — Frodo

For a young Elijah Wood, getting the lead role in such an iconic project could have been an incredible career boost. But Frodo Baggins is still the most memorable character in the actor's filmography. However, he managed to star in other big projects like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Green Street Hooligans. Now Elijah is focused more on producing. And in 2019, he became a father for the first time — Mette-Marie Kongsved gave birth to his son. The actor carefully protects his private life, so fans can only guess whether the couple got married after they had a kid or not.

Viggo Mortensen — Aragorn

Viggo Mortensen had many outstanding roles before The Lord of the Rings, and he even worked with Alfred Hitchcock on a film that basically introduced him to the mass audience. But even after his fame faded, Viggo remained true to himself, preferring to take on small independent projects rather than popular films. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for Eastern Promises, Captain Fantastic and Green Book. Since 2009, Mortensen has been in a relationship with Ariadna Gil. The couple lives in Madrid, but most of the time Viggo spends on the set in the United States.

Orlando Bloom — Legolas

Just two years after the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Orlando Bloom appeared in one of the lead roles in Pirates of the Caribbean. Thus, the actor starred in two popular projects at the same time. You can also add Troy and Kingdom of Heaven to the list. Now Orlando prefers action films, but we will probably still see him in the role of the hero lover in future, if his beloved — Katy Perry will be okay with that. The celebrity relationship began in 2016, but quickly ended. However, Katy and Orlando gave it a second chance and did not regret it. Now the lovers are raising their daughter Daisy Dove, born in August 2020.

John Rhys-Davies — Gimli

Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies had already been famous before his work on The Lord of the Rings. At the time, his filmography included memorable roles in the TV series Sliders, several Indiana Jones and James Bond films. However, Gimli became perhaps John's most popular character. After this role, Rhys-Davies continued to act in independent films, as well as in big projects. Now he is doing a lot of voice acting. For example, the voice of Brine King in Aquaman belongs to John. In 1966, Rhys-Davies married Suzanne Wilkinson, who gave birth to his two sons. Nineteen years later, the marriage broke up, but John took care of her until her last days, since Suzanne had Alzheimer's disease. Since 2004, the actor has been living with Lisa Manning, who gave birth to his only daughter.

Andy Serkis — Gollum

The Lord of the Rings has been an extremely important project for Andy Serkis. Since his appearance as Gollum, directors have been flooding the actor with offers to play some unusual roles using a motion-capture system. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, King Kong, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens all attest to Andy's talent for working in a mo-cap suit. Since 2017, Serkis has focused more on directing. He has worked on Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and many other films. The actor has been happily married to Lorraine Ashbourne since 2002. The couple has three kids. Two of them are already making their first steps in the film industry.

Ian Mckellen — Gandalf

Despite his advanced age, Sir Ian McKellen continues to actively star in movies. In addition to the role of the famous wizard in The Lord of the Rings, he also portrayed Magneto in the X-Men film series and was the antagonist in The Da Vinci Code. Few people know that McKellen is a master of the Shakespear. And not so long ago, he played Hamlet again on the stage of the theater. The actor carefully hides his private life. And fans sincerely hope that he will have time to give them another memorable character.

Sean Astin — Sam

Despite the success of The Lord of the Rings, Sean never became a movie superstar. The Color of Magic still remains one of the biggest projects in his filmography, if you exclude the cult fantasy series. However, the actor does not worry about it and tries his best in various TV series — he managed to star in Stranger Things, The Big Bang Theory and Alphas. Sean is mainly engaged in voice acting. Astin is happily married to Christine Harrell, who gave him three daughters. The couple married in 1992 — before Sean received all the fame for his participation in the film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy series.

Liv Tyler — Arwen

Film critics adored Liv even before the release of The Lord of the Rings, after her role in Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty. But it was the trilogy about the One Ring that brought her worldwide fame. Filmography of Tyler is full of interesting projects — Jersey Girl, Reign Over Me, The Leftovers, Harlots. Liv tries her best at hiding her private life. It is known that she was married to Royston Langdon, and also had a relationship with Dave Gardner for a few years, giving birth to a son Sailor and a daughter Lula.

Dominic Monaghan — Merry

Almost immediately after The Lord of the Rings Dominic got a role in the popular series Lost. Interestingly, the actor has almost nothing else to brag about. He also played in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker though. It is true that films interest Monaghan now much less than nature. He has a great love for insects and reptiles and one of the newly discovered species of spider was named after Dominic. The actor doesn't like sharing details about his private life. It is known that he was in a relationship with Evangeline Lilly, his co-star in the series Lost.

Billy Boyd — Pippin

The Lord of the Rings was one of the first projects in Billy's filmography. And it will probably remain the most important one. After the trilogy, Boyd appeared in The Hobbit, but only as a ballad singer. His name was not even mentioned in the credits. In 2019, the actor participated in the filming of the series Outlander and Grey's Anatomy. By the way, Billy and Dominic are still friends and meet regularly. Since 2010, Boyd has been happily married to Alison McKinnon, who gave birth to his son Jack. The wedding was attended by Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan.

Sean Bean — Boromir

After the tragic death of Sean Bean's Boromir, filmmakers came to the conclusion that killing off the actor's characters was a must. Look at Game of Thrones or Black Death, for example. Sean himself seems to have come to terms with the fact that death follows him — he played characters who have died more than 20 times! Not too long ago he starred in Medici, and lately he's been concentrating on voicing video games. Four of Sean's five marriages ended in divorce. He is currently married to Ashley Moore. Bean is the father of three children and four grandchildren.

Cate Blanchett — Galadriel

Cate is one of the most titled The Lord of the Rings actresses. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Aviator and then won the coveted statuette again for the drama film Blue Jasmine. Blanchett manages to be perfect in any role she is given, and for this the actress is so adored by directors. Now her most interesting projects are TV series Mrs. America and Staged. The actress has been happily married to screenwriter Andrew Upton for 23 years, with whom she has three children. In 2015, the couple adopted a baby girl named Edith.