‘It was brutal’: Peter Jackson ripped Lord of the Rings star apart on set, but it made his acting better

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy still inspires numerous fantasy fans today and represents a time that many of the actors involved remember fondly. In order to ultimately become the great film experience that it is today, however, tough measures had to be taken on set from time to time. And so one or two stars also got a rare one harsh announcement served by director Peter Jackson.

Sean Astin was taken aside by Peter Jackson during The Lord of the Rings filming

Sam actor Sean Astin explained in an interview with Cinemablend that Peter Jackson usually showed the actors visually how he imagined a certain scene instead of using a lot of words. However, once he did, they were a precision landing. The actor finally felt one of these few instructions – and it accompanied him permanently:

The most painful thing Peter Jackson ever said to me… He took me aside and looked at me and just said: ‘I didn’t buy it.’ Oh my God, he might as well have — it was like a Mortal Kombat finishing blow. It was as if he had torn the hair from my body and my spine had come out with it.

However, Astin also explained that Peter Jackson didn’t intentionally want to offend the actor – he instead wanted to mmotivate. This ultimately had an effect:

It was brutal. And he didn’t mean it in such a brutal way. He wanted it to arrive. It was the perfect stage direction. And he was absolutely right. And it made me better. It made me focus harder.

Even though Sean Astin did not reveal in the conversation exactly what scene the altercation was about, it is said to be part of the filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring have heard. The actor was able to prove in numerous subsequent scenes that Sean Astin was completely absorbed in his role as Sam.

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