The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most celebrated works of fantasy and has been regarded as one of the greatest films ever. Director Peter Jackson spent years bringing to life a novel series that was considered to be unadaptable. The final film of the trilogy The Return of the King won eleven awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture.
Many actors in the fantasy trilogy have gone on to become stars. While lead actors such as Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen became synonymous with their roles as Frodo and Aragorn, other actors such as Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, and Andy Serkis saw new levels of stardom. Bloom, who would go on to star in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise reportedly received a very low salary for playing the role of Legolas in the trilogy.
Orlando Bloom’s Salary Was Extremely Low For His Role In The Lord of the Rings
Orlando Bloom had his Hollywood breakthrough at the age of twenty-two when he starred as Legolas in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. The trilogy of fantasy films was based on author J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic novels, which were considered to be impossible to adapt at the time. Bloom featured in all three films and even reprised his role in The Hobbit trilogy.
Playing Legolas was one of Bloom’s first big roles and he reportedly auditioned for the role of Faramir, the brother of Boromir (played by Sean Bean). However, Jackson reportedly cast him as the Elf archer Legolas instead. Bloom mentioned that he was ready to play anything at that time and happily accepted the role.
While the films collectively ended up earning over $2.9 billion at the box office, Orlando Bloom was reportedly paid a meager $175,000 for his role as Legolas. Though the role was substantial, the actor was a relative unknown at the time and hence was paid a small sum.
The actor, however, took it in stride and was grateful for the opportunity. He spoke during The Howard Stern Show,
“Nothing, nothing, I got nothing. $175,000 that’s what I got. Listen, the greatest gift of my life, are you kidding me? And you’d do it again for half the money.”
Bloom was reportedly also grateful for all the opportunities he received after The Lord of the Rings, and the experience of working with stalwarts such as Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, and Christopher Lee.
Aragorn’s Sword Andúril Was Sold For More Money Than Orlando Bloom’s Salary
While Orlando Bloom only earned a meager $175,000 for his role as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, the film franchise continues to reap profits even after its $2.9 billion box office receipts. Many of the film’s memorabilia have been sold at high values over the years. One of the most expensive of them is Aragorn’s sword Andúril.
Andúril was first forged as Narsil and was reportedly a symbol of kinship between the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. The sword was broken and was sought by many including Boromir, who was guided by a prophecy to find the sword that was broken. Aragorn finally reforges the sword and renames it Andúril.
The prop from the film was reportedly sold in 2014 for a price of $437,000. The prop was reportedly made by Peter Lyon and was designed by John Howe. The sword in the auction was reportedly one of four made for the film and was gifted by Peter Jackson to Sir Christopher Lee (via Bonhams). Lee was the only actor to have met author J.R.R. Tolkien from the cast and crew of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
