Being a main character in one of the biggest films of all time should mean you are set for life – right? For Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood, that wasn't the case.
Wood, known for playing Frodo Baggins throughout the fantasy franchise, recently spoke to Business Insider where he revealed that his paycheck from the series wasn't nearly what you would expect it to be. Since director Peter Jackson took a "gamble" and filmed the trilogy simultaneously, Wood and the other actors didn't have a chance between the films to renegotiate their salaries based on their performance at the box office, per People.
"Because we weren't making one movie and then renegotiating a contract for the next, it wasn't the sort of lucrative scenario that you could sort of rest easy for the rest of your life," he said.
Despite the franchise bringing in nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office and earning critical acclaim, even tying for the record for most Oscars won by a single film for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with 11 total, the cast didn't have "massive salaries." Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee) previously said he made around $250,000 for the franchise, while Orlando Bloom (Legolas) said he earned $175,000, though he also called the films the "greatest gift of my life."
Wood noted he wasn't paid $250,000, though he said it "doesn't matter" how much he earned as just being part of the project was an "honor," seemingly echoing Bloom's sentiment.
"The benefit of that was that we were also signing up for something that was going to be a part of our lives forever," Wood said, adding, "It's such an honor to have been a part of those films, and they represent some of the best experiences of my life."