There are a few massive movie franchises that are able to define a certain period of filmmaking. Peter Jackson’s acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy is certainly in this category, with the starring cast synonymous with their roles. That includes Elijah Wood, who recently compared his Frodo fame to Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in Star Wars.
Elijah Wood has been in the film business since he was a kid, although he’ll always be known for his performance as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movie. Those three epic blockbusters have continued to permeate the pop culture landscape, especially with the extended cuts available to stream on HBO Max. Wood recently spoke about his feelings about his continued LOTR fame, saying:
I accepted a long time ago that I would forever be linked to Frodo, so it doesn’t bother me. Honestly, it would be such a sad burden if it did. [Laughs.] I’m so used to people on the street calling me Frodo and not calling me by my name. It’s representative of one of the greatest experiences of my life, movies that I adore and memories that I’ll cherish forever. At the end of my days, that is what I will be linked to probably more than anything else. I can only equate it to similar scenarios like Mark Hamill or Harrison Ford. They are associated with their classic [Star Wars] characters more than others. Now that we’re standing on the precipice of 20 years, which is so difficult to comprehend, my reflection is one of such gratitude and such love that I’ll never be upset at being associated with those films or for them being the largest in people’s memories of who I am.
Talk about a healthy attitude. While some actors might hate being called by their character’s name, Elijah Wood seems to kind of enjoy it. Namely because it represents such a great time in his life: filming Lord of the Rings movies in New Zealand with killer cast mates like Sean Astin.
Elijah Wood’s comments to The New York Times helps to show how the actor feels about his ongoing legacy as a Hobbit. It’s been nearly two decades since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King arrived in theaters back in 2003. And in that time Wood has presumably been able to reflect about his years spent in Middle Earth.
The comparison between Lord of the Rings and Star Wars fame is a fair one, as both franchises had a massive impact upon their release. And while actors like Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford have had long and successful careers, their names will always be associated with Han Solo and Luke Skywalker respectively. That’s especially true because the galaxy far, far away continues to grow with new movie and television content.
As for Elijah Wood, the Frodo callouts will likely continue as the Lord of the Rings TV show for Amazon eventually starts airing. The generations of fans are definitely intrigued by this concept, and it should be interesting to see if/how it connects to the Peter Jackson movies. Especially since it’s set thousands of years before the events of the franchise.
Elijah Wood has a number of projects coming down the line himself, including The Toxic Avenger and L.A. Rush. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
