Where Are They Now: The Stars from The Hobbit
This December will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Battle of the Five Armies. Since the end of The Hobbit trilogy, the stars of Peter Jackson’s prequel series have stayed quite busy on a multitude of different projects, ranging from small indies to large summer blockbusters. In this list, we will go over the catalogue of actors that appeared in the Hobbit films, and what they have been up to since their time in Middle-earth came to an end. For redundancy-purposes, I will not be including actors from The Lord of the Rings series in this list, as they were already covered in a previous article. I will instead be solely focusing on the stars found exclusively in the Hobbit trilogy.
Since 2014, Martin Freeman has seen a mountain of success, appearing in films such as Black Panther and its sequel, Wakanda Forever, as well as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot with Tina Fey. He’s also appeared in shows like the final season of Sherlock, Breeders, The Responder, and the first season of Fargo. He was also in the MCU’s Secret Invasion, which came out last year on Disney+. You can catch him in Miller’s Girl which was released earlier this year, as well as Clybourne Park, which is the next film on Freeman’s schedule and is currently in pre-production.
Since starring in the role of the King Under the Mountain, Richard Armitage has played a variety of different roles in a variety of different films. He’s been able to show off his impressive range in movies such as The Lodge, Pilgrimage, Brain on Fire, and The Boy in the Woods. He’s also appeared in popular shows such as Berlin Station and Castlevania. Armitage will appear in the David Copperfield TV series, which is now in post-production, alongside Theo James, Jessie Buckley, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Luke Evans has become a very recognizable name in Hollywood since his time as Bard the Bowman in the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies. Over the course of the last decade, Evans has played important roles in films such as Furious 7, Beauty and the Beast, Murder Mystery, Midway, and Scrooge: A Christmas Carole. Evans’ next film, World-Breaker, is currently in production with co-stars Milla Jovovich and Kevin Glynn.
Prior to the Hobbit trilogy, John Bell had only starred in a couple of films, with one being a personal favorite of mine, A Shine of Rainbows. After becoming Bard’s son, Bain, in both The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies, Bell was able to land a few new roles but nothing really of note. That was until he auditioned and landed a significant, recurring role in the popular series Outlander. He would go on to appear in the series for 6 years and 34 total episodes. He is currently set to star in a new movie titled The Man in The Box that should release either later this year or early next year.
Lee Pace, the heartthrob of the Hobbit trilogy that had many in a chokehold at the time (and still to this day), has been staying quite busy these past few years, appearing in such films as Guardians of the Galaxy, Driven, and Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. Pace has become a consistent mainstay in Hollywood; but it doesn’t just stop at films for the Elvenking, as he has enjoyed a stellar career as a TV actor, as well. Pace has starred in a ton of popular shows since 2014, including the likes of Halt and Catch Fire, Robot Chicken, and Foundation. We can expect to see Lee Pace return to his role in Foundation season 3 when it drops next year on Apple TV+.
Evangeline Lily has become one of the bigger stars to takeover Hollywood since her days as an Elven warrior in the Hobbit. The former Tauriel actress has starred in numerous films since 2014, including Little Evil and South of Heaven, Crisis with Gary Oldman, and, of course, the Ant-Man trilogy and Avengers: Endgame. Next up on the agenda for Lilly is a comedy called Happy Life where she will be co-starring beside Alexandra Daddario.
The ever-charming James Nesbitt has kept up a steady pipeline of TV shows since his days as Bofur in the Hobbit trilogy came to an end. The two-time BAFTA nominee has appeared in shows such as Babylon, The Missing, Cold Feet, Stay Close, Suspect, and Bloodlands. He is currently set to star in The Way: Chapter 2 alongside Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen.
Since his days in the Hobbit, Ken Stott has remained rather busy filling out roles in Hollywood. He has stayed consistent in appearing in high-profile and interesting dramas, such as Woody Allen’s Café Society, the hit War & Peace TV series, Fortitude with Dennis Quaid, the BAFTA-nominated film The Dig with Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, and Crime with Dougray Scott. Stott does not currently have any film or TV roles lined up at the moment.
Like his Dwarven brother, Graham McTavish has given many important performances to a variety of roles since his time in Middle-earth came to an end. The veteran actor has appeared in films and shows ranging from fantasy hits like House of the Dragon and The Witcher to high grossing flicks in Creed and Aquaman. He has also appeared in The Finest Hours film with Chris Pine as well as Lucifer, Preacher, and Outlander. He is currently set to continue with his roles in both Outlander and House of the Dragon this year.
One of the other heartthrobs from the Hobbit trilogy, Aidan Turner, has stayed relatively low-key in terms of roles since 2014. He did finish his starring role in the critically acclaimed and well-beloved TV show, Poldark, but beyond that, Turner’s career hasn’t really taken the star-turn that many expected after stealing the hearts of many as the brash and handsome Kili in the Hobbit. Nevertheless, he has still managed to find leading roles in shows like Leonardo, The Suspect, and Fifteen-Love. Turner currently has a couple important roles lined up as he will be co-starring alongside David Tennant in the new TV series Rivals as well as a disciple role in Terrance Malik’s next film, the long-anticipated Way of the Wind. The film’s cast also includes two other notable Middle-earth alumni in both John Rhys-Davies and Joseph Mawle.
Dean O’Gorman, the other half of the Kili & Fili tandem, has also stayed relatively quiet since 2014, having starred in only a few films and shows, such as Trumbo with Bryan Cranston, Pork Pie, Westside, and One Lane Bridge. He also appeared in Under the Vines alongside fellow Middle-earth actor, Charles Edwards. O’Gorman will appear in the Guy Pearce-led action film, The Convert, which officially releases July 12th of this year.
The man who can do it all, Stephen Fry, has not at all slowed down in any of his endeavors over the past 10 years. While he does much more than just act, Fry has been able to manage a lengthy career in the film industry while also being able to juggle everything else he has on his crowded plate. Since his time as the Master of Laketown, Fry has appeared in nearly 40 films and shows. Most notably, he has played significant roles in popular movies such as Red, White & Royal Blue, Missing Link, Love and Friendship, and Alice Through the Looking Glass where he voices the infamous Cheshire Cat. While he has made quite a career out of appearing in films, it’s the small screen where Fry really shines. Since 2014, Fry has appeared in a bucketload of popular shows such as Bones, Veep, American Dad!, Doctor Who, Sex Education, It’s a Sin, The Simpsons, The Dropout, The Sandman, and The Morning Show. Fry is currently in-line to star in We Work for the Dead and Too Much, both aiming for a 2024 release.
The former doctor-turned-wizard, Sylvester McCoy, has enjoyed a consistently breezy output of roles over the past 10 years. Since starring as the Brown Wizard, McCoy has made appearances in many Doctor Who specials, including Doctor Who: Tales of the Tardis, Doctor Who: The Seventh Doctor Adventures, and the base Doctor Who series where he returned as the Seventh Doctor in the episode titled The Power of the Doctor. He has also appeared in Rob Zombie’s The Munsters as Igor, the relatively short-lived but critically acclaimed Netflix series Sense8, and the BBC drama Father Brown. McCoy is set to appear alongside Mayim Bialik and Robert Picardo in The Inspector Chronicles early next year.
The man behind Azog the Defiler, Manu Bennett, has carved out quite the career in Hollywood since becoming the Pale Orc. He has appeared in many different projects since 2014, including American Dad!, The Shannara Chronicles, and Arrow. He is set to star in a film called Notes, which is currently wrapping production.
Benedict Cumberbatch, the biggest star to come out of the Hobbit trilogy, has become one of the most recognizable people in Hollywood since 2014. The voice behind Smaug the Dragon has turned in many remarkable performances over the last decade, including such films as the MCU’s Doctor Strange series, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Thor: Ragnarok, 1917, The Imitation Game, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Mauritanian, The Grinch, Black Mass, and The Power of Dog. He has also appeared in popular TV shows, such as The Simpsons, Patrick Melrose, Good Omens, What If…?, and, of course, Sherlock. Cumberbatch is currently set to star in the lead role of Eric, a new Netflix original series releasing later this month on the 30th. He will also star in Morning with Noah Jupe and Laura Dern and Jay Roach’s The Roses with Olivia Coleman.
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