Where Are They Now: The Stars from The Lord of the Rings

It’s been a little over 20 years since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the capper to arguably the greatest film trilogy the world has ever seen. Since then, many of the trilogy’s stars have become household names in Hollywood, appearing in everything from billion-dollar blockbusters and summer hits to culture-defining serials and Oscar-winning pictures. Actors like Viggo Mortensen and Cate Blanchett have become award-winning darlings since their time in New Zealand ended, and other actors, such as Ian McKellen and Orlando Bloom, have garnered immense fame and fans from iconic roles in trilogies outside of The Lord of the Rings, such as the X-Men and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. But that’s the past. What about the present and beyond? What are the stars of the trilogy we love so dearly doing right now? Well, today I wanted to highlight the current projects that these great actors have lined up, as well as look to the future to see what exciting things these Middle-earth alumni have in store for us. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

 

Valiant Hobbits

Elijah Wood

Elijah has been booked and busy in recent years and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Last year alone, Mr. Frodo Baggins himself starred alongside Christina Ricci in Showtime’s hit show Yellowjackets, as well as appeared in Prime Video’s new series I’m a Virgo. Looking ahead, it was just recently announced that Wood would take part in the new animated adaptation of the hit indie game Among Us, as well as set to look concerningly like his corrupted Frodo counterpart in The Toxic Avenger remake coming later this year.

Sean Astin

One of the many familiar faces when first appearing in The Lord of the Rings was the incredibly charming Sean Astin, who had already starred in his own fair share of classics with both The Goonies and Rudy. Since then, the former hobbit has not slowed down any from starring in a variety of different films and shows year in and year out. Just in the past year or two, Sean has starred in shows such as Perry Mason and The Conners, as well as indie films in The Shift, Hard Miles, and Holiday Twist. Later this year, you can catch him starring opposite Christopher Lloyd in Man and Witch.

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd

While ol’ Dom and Billy haven’t been starring in many movies as of late, they sure have been keeping busy with their very popular podcast, The Friendship Onion, which has become extremely successful since its launch just a few years back. The duo has also tried their hand at voice acting with Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina, which sees the two return to their fantasy roots in animated fashion.

Andy Serkis

One of the biggest stars to launch their career with The Lord of the Rings is Andy Serkis. In recent years, you could find Andy not only in front of the camera, starring in shows and movies such as Andor and The Batman, but also in the director’s chair, creating films such as Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Coming up on Mr. Serkis’ schedule is The Batman: Part II, as well as an adaption of George Orwell’s classic novel, Animal Farm, which he will both star in and direct.

 

Understated Men

Viggo Mortensen

A king. A cowboy. A mobster. An actor. Viggo Mortensen has had a wide assortment of incredible roles throughout his career, and that wide assortment only seems to be growing larger, year after year. Just in the past few years, Viggo made his directorial debut with Falling, starred in David Cronenberg’s experimental thriller Crimes of the Future, and experienced universal acclaim for his endearing role as the real-life hero, Rick Stanton, in Thirteen Lives. Viggo is currently set to star alongside Caleb Landry Jones in Alex Gibney’s Two Wolves, which is currently in pre-production.

Sean Bean

Sean Bean has starred in many projects over the course of his career, and since his appearance as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, the number of movies and TV shows he’s been in has only grown. In recent years, he has appeared in both the Snowpiercer TV series and Knights of the Zodiac. He is currently lined up to star in Rogue Trooper, Yellow Tie, and Deep Cover.

Bernard Hill

Though rising in age, Bernard Hill doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The two-time BAFTA nominee, best known for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and Titanic, just finished working on two films, Forever Young and The Moor, as well as a TV show titled The Responder with fellow Middle-earth alum, Martin Freeman. In 2025, a new horror film featuring Hill will be released–titled The Pub.

Miranda Otto

Miranda Otto has been one of the busiest actors on this list these past few years, having starred in a dozen films and TV shows since 2020. Just recently, she starred in the hit horror film Talk to Me for A24, as well as the TV shows Wellmania for Netflix, The Clearing and Koala Man for Hulu, and True Colours for AMC. Most exciting, however, is Miranda’s return as Eowyn later this year in The Lord of the Rings spinoff, The War of the Rohirrim.

Karl Urban

While it did take Karl Urban a bit longer to reach stardom when compared to his Middle-earth counterparts, when he hit it–he hit it big. Thanks to his role in Prime Video’s hit show The Boys, Karl Urban has seen a huge uptick in popularity in Hollywood. As the uber-charismatic Billy Butcher, he’s become one of the most well-recognizable faces in streaming, and as The Boys becomes more and more popular, Karl’s notoriety only increases. In just the next couple of years alone, Karl Urban has multiple films lined up, including Mortal Kombat II, and I, Object.

David Wenham

After appearing in the Elvis biopic just under two years ago, David Wenham continues the trend of consistently appearing in high-profile films and TV shows almost every year. Since 2020, Wenham has starred in four shows for Netflix, Hulu, and Netflix, including the Faraway Downs with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, as well as the aforementioned Elvis biopic and a voice role in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Wenham is currently in line to star in yet another TV show later this year, titled Fake.

 

Ethereal Elves

Orlando Bloom

Out of all the actors whose careers started with The Lord of the Rings, Orlando Bloom has to be up there for the most successful. While his outings in big-name films have trailed off a bit in the past few years, he’s still appeared in his fair share of shows and movies that found some element of success. Just last year alone, Bloom appeared in both the Gran Turismo film alongside David Harbour, as well as the TV series Carnival Row with Cara Delevingne. Coming up, Orlando has Wizards!, Deep Cover, and Red Right Hand all lined up in the coming years.

Hugo Weaving

With one of the most recognizable faces and voices in Hollywood, Hugo Weaving has found no trouble finding work since his time as Elrond in The Lord of the Rings came to an end. In just the last few years, Hugo has managed to star in films such as The Rooster and The Royal Hotel, as well as TV shows in Love Me and Koala Man, with roles lined up later in both How to Make Gravy and Slow Horses.

Liv Tyler

Though she hasn’t been as busy as of late, the former Elven goddess herself, Liv Tyler, has managed to keep busy with a few roles here and there over the past few years. While she hasn’t really found the same success recently as she did in the mid-to-late 2000s with such films as Reign Over Me and The Incredible Hulk, she has appeared in her own fair share of worthwhile productions. Since 2019, Liv has starred in Harlots, Ad Astra, and 9-1-1: Lone Star, with a rumored cameo as Betty Ross in Captain America: Brave New World set to be released next year.

Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett has become one of the premier leading ladies in Hollywood these past 20 years. She has attained many awards, including Oscars and Golden Globes, as well as starring in her own fair share of blockbusters. Just two years ago, she starred in Tar, a gorgeous character drama that secured her yet another round of nominations and praise. She looks forward to adding another blockbuster to her list with Borderlands, which will be released later this year.

 

A Classical Istar

Ian McKellen

While the stage is still very much Sir. Ian McKellen’s home, he hasn’t completely retired from acting in film and TV. Just recently, Sir. Ian’s remarkable voice could be heard on the Ted TV series as the narrator, and though it comes as no surprise, he does an absolutely fantastic job, and it doesn’t hurt that the show is actually quite good and absolutely hilarious (highly recommend giving it a watch). Outside of that, Sir. Ian is set to star in a new adaptation of Hamlet coming out this year.

 

And One Veteran Dwarf

John Rhys-Davies

The ever-charismatic John Rhys-Davies can seemingly never catch a breath. In just the past four years alone, Rhys-Davies has worked on thirteen productions, including eleven movies and two TV shows. Within those eleven movies, he made a brief appearance as his widely adored character, Salah, in the newest entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, The Dial of Destiny. Mr. John Rhys-Davies currently has eleven movies and TV shows in production, including Miss Willoughby, The Sword of Thyrus, and Nameless, which are all slated to be released later this year.