Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} There and Back Again An Actor's Tale by There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale by Sean Astin with Joe Layden. I’m going to give myself over to this process and trust that these are good, decent people and that their artistry is so worthy of sacrifice that I’ll come out of it on the other end saying, “Look what I’ve accomplished!” ​ Sean Astin. Sean Astin is never satisfied. Even winning a pivotal role in The Lord of the Rings , one of the most successful film franchises of all time, isn’t enough to gratify the ambitious actor. In his new memoir, There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale , Astin grumbles incessantly about everything from the long hours on set to his lack of screen time to his feeling neglected when unable to influence Rings director Peter Jackson with filmmaking suggestions to the defection of his prized make-up artist. Astin’s list of gripes is a Mordor-mile long, and his new book gives him the ideal opportunity to repeatedly voice each and every one of them. Astin, it seems, has never really been happy with his career, even before the Big Time came calling with Rings . As the actor relates select moments of his 25 years in the industry and exactly how he came to be a part of the “greatest production in cinema history,” a pattern emerges, revealing Astin’s inability to ever feel truly comfortable with anything he does. And it’s not due to concerns over quality or product substance, but the levels of success that projects will or will not attain for him. He discusses how easy it was for him agree to appear in the football film Rudy , because he “would be the star, the lead, the hero,” then remarks how he agonized to the point of a veritable breakdown over how he would be received and what that reception would mean for his career. Panic and crisis are the name of the game for Sean. The critical acclaim he begged for with Rudy pleased him momentarily, but the film’s lack of commercial success left him unfulfilled. He wanted more, and, as it happened, that more came in the form of The Lord of the Rings , which he refers to as “the greatest personal and professional experience of [his] life,” yet still he can’t find his happy place. It’s true Rings ‘s success made major stars out of every actor involved, and, for Astin, represented the pinnacle of his life’s blood and sweat as a second-stringer with just a spattering of leading roles to his credit, but to hear him tell it, if he retired tomorrow, he’d forever be held in the highest regard simply for having been a part of it. One wonders, though, what caused Sean ever to feel his part in it was any more than to arrive on set on time with his lines memorized? In recounting his discontented life on location, he bizarrely seems to think he was owed far more. “What got me to New Zealand,” Astin writes, “was the possibility, not the certainty, that The Lord of the Rings would absolutely be done right.” This coming after he’d only read 160 pages of the first book and had (he admits) yet to fully comprehend the story and Sam’s part in it. Astin mentions several times his undying faith in Peter Jackson, yet spends much of the Rings section of his book second-guessing the director’s every decision — every decision regarding Astin, that is, as there is barely any mention of anything to do with the film that doesn’t concern him. First off, he’s pissed he’ll be working with a double (“But I don’t want a double. I want it to be all me!”), then he’s unhappy with the script, unhappy with Jackson’s treatment of his actors during dangerous stunts, unhappy with his inability to inspire Jackson to take on some of his own story suggestions and on and on and on. Astin is so unhappy on set that he spends much of his 18 months in New Zealand feeling sorry for himself and in fear that the franchise will fail. It’s as if New Line’s $270 million investment in the trilogy was his sole responsibility. If the final movie failed, he says, “I would perceive it as my failure.” It’s hard to feel for Astin as he shrugs about the book questioning the merits of everything and everyone around him, whether his talent is worthy of the many sacrifices necessary to take part on the films. These sacrifices, too, are noted frequently — Astin took a substantial pay cut and went against his principles to work on what he discovered was a non-union production. Astin is proudly pro-union (his mother, actress , is an ex-president of the Screen Actor’s Guild) and considered signing on to Rings not as a direct affront to his beliefs, but a step in the right direction towards his inevitable success. Success and the power that comes with it are obviously what drive Astin. He measures people’s worth by the amount of success they’ve attained and considers above anything else, advice given to him by those he deems important – Eric Stoltz, for example, endorsed Astin’s casting as Samwise, so the actor was able to as well. He notes no less than three times how much he admires Rings co-star Elijah Wood because “he always seemed to work alongside major stars”, and talks about his other Rings costars, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm and Christopher Lee in terms of their perceived “greatness” within the industry. Astin’s fawning and admitted envy of everyone from to Brendan Fraser to pretty much every one of his Rings costars sees him come off as utterly desperate for the kind of admiration garnered by these people. He craves attention (even if it’s negative) and is convinced his part in the trilogy elevates him above so many of his colleagues in Hollywood. “My wife continues to caution me,” he writes, “about commenting publicly about the people I admire or want to work with . . . but, hey, after The Lord of the Rings , I figure I’m in the big game now.” It’s sad that Astin is so wrapped up in this game and his place within in it, because while manages now and again to acknowledge his egocentrism and his fondness for melodrama, he’s never quite so self-aware as to tone down the histrionics. To this end, too, he overlooks numerous contradictions in his tale. Astin, for example, frequently informs the reader of his “faith” in the Jackson’s “vision” with Rings , yet frequently discusses everything he thought was wrong with the production. He says of Christopher Lee’s excising from the final film that “sometimes brutal decisions have to made” yet wails about the chopping of his scenes in the same film, going so far as to announce to both his wife and Wood: “They’ve ruined it!” And, in one of the book’s more piteous moments, Astin reveals “an unspoken hope that I’d get singled out and perhaps a SAG nomination would start the trend towards an Academy Award nomination” only to miss out and subsequently chastise the Academy for its inability to appropriately “measure great acting.” “There’s no objective standard [for measuring acting prowess],” Astin writes, “Never has been and never will be.” The book is rife with these kinds of inconsistencies, not to mention numerous spelling errors (that’s Marc Rocco) and unchecked facts (was Sean 18 in 1987 or 1989?). It’s in such a mess, in fact, jumping forward and backward in time so often as to occasionally lose the reader entirely, and it skips over what some might say were the more interesting moments in Astin’s career, like his participation in The Goonies [1985] and his work with Dudley Moore on the underrated Like Father, Like Son [1987]. Astin’s tendency towards unnecessary and oddly-times digression is distracting, too, as he leaps into stories from the set of Courage Under Fire (seemingly only there to reveal that once, years ago, Tim Robbins didn’t return a phone call) 40 pages before the end of the book and almost 200 pages into the Rings section. He also shifts without pause from discussions about ear and feet make-up to paragraphs about his dad, and from the enormity of the Rings script to a whole slab about how much of an ingrate Warren Beatty is (Sean didn’t mind a Beatty-dissing too much, however, as the man, after all, is a “true Hollywood icon”). The book has briefly shines when Astin writes of his parents (Duke and his adopted father, ), his patient wife and kids, his education, and his uplifting film experiences, including a powerful retelling of a pivotal moment in Rudy . Astin is obviously a dedicated and passionate performer who knows how to best utilize his talents, but he’s too busy moaning about perceived problems in his life to recognize his accomplishments. At one point in the book, he mentions the firing of Stuart Townsend at the start of production on The Fellowship of the Ring due to the actor’s inability to convincingly inhabit the role of Aragorn, and ponders, without a hint of irony: “I was wondering why he couldn’t just relax and enjoy the process.” After reading this 300-page bellyache, one feels the exact same way about Astin. There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale. The fascinating memoir of a Hollywood life and an inside look at a life-changing role and the groundbreaking Lord of the Rings films that captured the imagination of movie fans everywhere. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful film franchises in cinematic history. Winner of a record eleven Academy Awards--a clean sweep--and breaking box office records worldwide, the trilogy is a breathtaking cinematic achievement and beloved by fans everywhere. For Sean Astin, a Hollywood child (his mother is Patty Duke and stepfather is John Astin) who made his feature film debut at 13 in the 1980s classic The Goonies and played the title role in Rudy, the call from his agent about the role of Samwise Gamgee couldn't have come at a better time. His career was at a low point and choice roles were hard to come by. But his 18-month experience in New Zealand with director Peter Jackson and the cast and crew od The Lord of the Rings films would be more than simply a dream-come-true--it would prove to be the challenge of a lifetime. There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale is the complete memoir of Sean Astin, from his early days in Hollywood to the role that changed his life. Though much has been written about the making of the films, including the techniques and artistry employed to bring Tolkien's vision of life and the various relationships between castmembers, the real story of what took place on the set, the harrowing ordeals of the actors and the unspoken controversy and backstage dealings have never been told. Sean's experience and candid account of his time filming in New Zealand is unparalleled. More than a companion guide to the Ring films, There and Back Again filled with stories from the set and of the actors involved that have never been revealed before and is an eye-opening look from a Hollywood veteran at the blood, sweat and tears that went into the making of one of the most ambitious films of all time. There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale by Sean Astin. Sean Astin Biography. A few personal details about Sean Astin: Actor, director, producer, runner, activist, writer, husband and father. Born in Santa Monica CA, February 25, 1971. Member of an acting family with mother Patty Duke, father John Astin, uncle Ray Duke, brother Mackenzie Astin and daughter Ali Astin. Attended Crossroads High School for the Arts and took Master Classes with the legendary Stella Adler at the Stella Adler Conservatory in . Alumnus of Los Angeles Valley College and serves on their Board of Directors of the Patrons Association and the Arts Council. Graduated with honors from UCLA; B.A. in History & B.A. in English (American Literature and Culture). Resides in LA with his wife Christine Louise and daughters Alexandra (Ali) Louise, Elizabeth Louise, and Isabella (Bella) Louise. Member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Actors' Equity. Served on President's Council on Service and Civic Participation , and was a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. Long distance runner for over 35 years. Became an Ironman at the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Kona, HI, October 11, 2015. Has the power to make you an honorary Goonie!! “People will root for anyone who shows them their heart.” —Sean Astin. Sean Astin has demonstrated his innate ability to share his heart with the world through such iconic roles as Mikey Walsh in “The Goonies,” the title character of “Rudy,” Samwise Gamgee in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Bob Newby in "Stranger Things 2," roles that epitomize hope, determination and loyalty. With both his parents being well-known, respected actors, it’s no surprise that Sean’s career, spanning four decades with over 160 acting credits, began at a young age. He debuted in the 1981 television movie “Please Don’t Hit Me, Mom,” in which he played a child with an abusive mother, portrayed by his real-life mother Patty Duke. For his first feature film, he portrayed Mikey in Steven Spielberg’s classic “The Goonies” (1985), still enthusiastically beloved by audiences today. The young performer appeared in several more films both for TV and the big screen, garnering Young Artist Awards for performances in “The Goonies,” “Staying Together” (1989) and as the lead character Billy Tepper in “Toy Soldiers” (1991). He successfully navigated the transition from child actor to young adult in such critically acclaimed films as “Memphis Belle” (1990) and “The Low Life” (1995). Sean scored a career defining, triumphant success in the inspirational and universally applauded college football biopic “Rudy” (1993), about the life-changing struggles and rewards of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. To this day, Sean still identifies with the role of the unlikely athlete determined to succeed at achieving seemingly impossible goals. Sean experienced another career breakthrough with his role as the epitome of loyal sidekicks, Samwise Gamgee, in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, released in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Along with the many awards bestowed upon the trilogy (particularly its final installment "The Return of the King"), Sean received nominations for his own performance. He took home the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and awards from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, the Seattle Film Critics, the Utah Film Critics Association, and the Phoenix Film Critics Society. As an ensemble, "The Return of the King" cast received awards from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and the Screen Actors Guild. In 2004, Sean authored the NY Times best seller “There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale,” chronicling his acting career with emphasis on his experiences filming "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. In television, Sean has appeared in numerous movies and series, including multi-episodic runs in J. Michael Straczynski’s “Jeremiah” (2003-2004) in which he played the enigmatic Mister Smith, the popular thriller “24” (2006), and Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Strain” (2014-2015) on FX. He joined the award winning cast of the engrossing and critically acclaimed series "Stranger Things" (2017-2019) as the beloved Radio Shack manager, Bob Newby. In 2019, he guest starred in three episodes of the final season of "The Big Bang Theory" as well as an episode of "Brooklyn Nine Nine" and two of "Supergirl (2019-2020)." Sean starred with Melissa Joan Hart in Netflix's multi-camera family dramedy "No Good Nick" (2019). Sean's recent feature films include “The Lears” (2019), a sophisticated ensemble comedy (with Bruce Dern, Anthony Michael Hall, Aly Michalka, Nic Bishop and Victoria Smurfit) that updates Shakespeare's King Lear; the English-language adaptation of the Chilean film "Gloria Bell" (2019) starring Julianne Moore from Oscar winning director Sebastián Lelio; award winning thriller "Adverse" (2020) with Mickey Rourke and Ian Thomas Nicholas; and the family comedy "Hero Mode" (2021) with Mira Sorvino and Mary Lynn Rajskub. Upcoming movies include "Charming the Hearts of Men" with Kelsey Grammar and Anna Friel; "iMordecai", with Judd Hirsch and Carol Kane; and "Man and Witch" with Christopher Lloyd, Michael Emerson and Tami Stronach. His voice is also familiar to many. He narrated three seasons of the beloved Animal Planet series “Meerkat Manor” (2006-2007), and voiced the title characters in the animated Disney Channel series “Special Agent Oso” (2009-2012) and the animated feature film “Ribbit” (2014). He was the voice of Raphael in Nickelodeon’s popular “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2012-2017). He voiced the paranoid Siamese cat Chester in "Bunnicula" (2016-2018), a based on children's books by James Howe; and is the Narrator for "The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants" (2018- 2020) on Netflix, based on the Dav Pilkey's children's books. He reprised his role as Shazam from the animated TV series "Justice League Action" (2016-2020) to take the lead in the full-length feature film, "LEGO DC: Shazam - Magic & Monsters " (2020). Sean recently provided the narration for audiobook versions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" (2021) and Max Brooks' "Minecraft: The Mountain (2021). He can be heard in a plethora of other animated shows, video games, audio dramas and narrations. After four decades of captured performances, Sean ventured in front of a live theater audience, first as Joseph Stalin in a theatrical presentation of "Shostakovich and the Black Monk: A Fantasy" (2018-2019) that included the Emerson String Quartet, and then as Dr. Moricet in the American premiere of "Bang! Bang!" (2018), John Cleese's adaptation of a 19th century French farce. Both productions were directed by James Gossman. Sean is also comfortable behind the camera, directing episodic TV and serving as producer on several films. He directed and co-produced with his wife Christine the short film “Kangaroo Court,” nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1995. While working on “The Lord of the Rings,” Sean made “The Long and Short of It.” The film premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and appears on the DVD for “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” along with a making-of video. He narrated and executive produced the documentary “Remember the Sultana” (2018), about the worst maritime disaster in US history. Sean has been a long-distance runner since his teens. His marathons include the 2014 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, where he had the honor of officially starting the race, the 2015 Boston Marathon as a member of charity fundraising team MR8, and the New York City Marathon in 2016. He has done numerous half marathons and countless 5Ks, 10Ks, and races of other distances. He successfully completed the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, in October 2015; the grueling event consisted of a 2.4 mile open ocean swim, a 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 mile marathon. In 2012, while training for the LA Marathon, he began a Twitter campaign using #Run3rd, a way to dedicate his runs to causes and ideas that mattered not just to him, but to others. The principle of #Run3rd is that Sean runs first for himself, since running is ultimately a solitary act, second for his ever-patient and supportive family, and third for others. #Run3rd has grown to include a team of runners, walkers, and others who dedicate their activities to the causes of others. A $25,000 grant from the Ironman Foundation has allowed the charity to fund after school running programs for children in underserved school districts. More information on #Run3rd, including sponsored 5Ks, is available at run3rd.com . Sean has served on the board of several non-profit organizations, including the Creative Coalition, National Center for Family Literacy, Los Angeles Valley College's Patrons Association and Arts Council, and Run3rd Alliance. He is a vocal advocate on many issues including climate activism, literacy, mental health awareness and civic engagement. After the passing of his mother in March 2016, Sean began fundraising to create a foundation to carry on her life's work as an advocate for mental health, the Patty Duke Mental Health Project. He frequently lectures on reducing the stigma of mental health issues. In 2018, he was awarded the Turn for Peace award by the Anasazi Foundation. In 2015, he began the “Sean Reads Aloud” project, a patronage-based series of readings, initially of public domain works such as children’s stories, poems and classic novels. Funds raised were donated to the Sean and Christine Astin Scholarship Fund. Readings are available on Youtube. Sean has been actively engaged in the political world since early in his life. He served in two non-partisan Presidential appointments. In 1995, under President Bill Clinton, he became a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, serving for 10 years under six secretaries in two administrations. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to his Council on Service and Civic Participation, whose mission was to promote a culture of volunteerism and civic engagement. He campaigned for presidential candidates John Kerry in 2004, and Hillary Clinton in 2008 and 2016. He also served as campaign manager for his friend, Dan Adler, in a special election for ’s 36th congressional district race in 2011. In 2012, Sean founded a political podcast focussing on the need to foster civil discourse in the national conversation. The show, whimsically called “Vox Populi: Voice of the ‘Occasionally’ Interested People” recorded over thirty episodes in its first season. After a successful Kickstarter campaign in fall 2013, a second season aired in 2014. More information can be found at voxpopuliradio.com and episodes are archived at https://vimeo.com/seanastin/albums. Sean is the son of Academy and multiple-Emmy Award Winning actress Anna "Patty Duke" Pearce and acclaimed actor John Astin; his brother Mackenzie Astin enjoys a thriving motion picture and television career. Rounding out the acting family, eldest daughter Ali has worked with her father on three films; she graduated from Harvard University in 2019 with a BA in Theater, Dance and Media. Sean attended the Crossroads High School for the Arts and later a master class at the Stella Adler Conservatory in Los Angeles. He graduated from UCLA in 1997 with a B.A. in History and English (American literature and culture). Sean is currently working on an online Master's degree in Public Administration and Policy at American University. Sean married Christine Harrell on July 11, 1992. They have three daughters: Alexandra "Ali" (born November 27, 1996), Elizabeth (born August 6, 2002), and Isabella "Bella" (born July 22, 2005), all with the middle name Louise. Marathon and triathlon times. March 29, 1998 Los Angeles Marathon 4:04:42 March 21, 2010 Los Angeles Marathon 5:16:12 March 18, 2012 Los Angeles Marathon 4:25:47 March 17, 2013 Los Angeles Marathon 4:42:31 June 16, 2013 San Francisco Marathon 5:03:53 October 13, 2013 Chicago Marathon 4:31:05 October 26, 2014 Marine Corps Marathon 4:30:56 November 16, 2014 Las Vegas Rock N Roll Marathon 5:03:53 January 11, 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon 4:55:21 April 20, 2015 Boston Marathon 4:49:53 July 12, 2015 Vineman 70.3 Triathlon swim 42:10; bike 3:25:51; run 2:54:43; total 7:25:19 October 10, 2015 Ironman Kona World Championship Triathlon. swim 1:45:00, T1 9:21, bike 7:11:56, T2 17:52, run 6:06:22, Total 15:30:31. October 9, 2016 Portland Marathon 5:55:56 November 6, 2016 New York City Marathon 6:02:33. Trademark ™ and Copyright © 2001-2016 by Sean Astin. All Rights Reserved. Designed by Image Freedom. There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale (2004) Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Here we have Sean Astin’s adventures as Samwise Gamgee during filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He recounts how he first heard about the audition, how he prepped for the role, the delights and difficulties of doing such a long shoot in New Zealand, and how the role changed his life going forward. Told with candor, humor, and sometimes gentle criticism, I found this book quite engaging. This was an educational delight all around. First, I love that Sean Astin was unfamiliar with Tolkien’s work prior to scheduling an audition for the role of Samwise. I found it amusing and endearing that Astin showed us his initial ignorance of The Lord of the Rings. I hope Tolkien’s works opened a door to other great fantasy and science fiction works. Prior to listening to this book, I was unaware of Astin’s parentage and it’s a rather convoluted one that involves his birth father’s true identity, step dads, and DNA tests. Even though I have been an Astin fan since seeing Goonies when I was 12, I had not delved into Astin’s personal life. This book lifts that curtain a bit and we get to know this actor for more than just his famous movies. There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes bits about filming in New Zealand, Astin’s fellow actors, Peter Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh, and his own doubts and personal victories. I was pleasantly surprised at how Astin chatted about the peculiarities and ticks of his fellow actors. Any criticism he offered was done in a gentle fashion and yet still had that center of truth to it. I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was 13 or 14. So long before the movies came about, I knew just how important Samwise was to story. Therefore, I was a bit surprised at how Samwise, and Astin, were not considered that important to the storyline of the filming until the last movie. Logistically, it makes sense but I could sympathize with Astin’s periodic frustrations with this aspect of filming. This book also covers the lengthy daily makeup sessions, accidents and near accidents that happened on set, the vagaries of weather, and the toll such a lengthy filming can take on not just the actors, but also their families. All around, this was an eye opener. Quite an enjoyable read! The Narration: Sean Astin did a great job with narrating his own book. I loved how he would slip into Samwise’s voice at the appropriate moments. He also does a great job expressing his emotions without going over the top. ( ) There And Back Again: An Actor's Tale. When Sean Astin, veteran Hollywood actor of over 30 movies including The Goonies, and Rudy, landed the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, he knew it was going to be different to anything he'd ever worked on before. Here he shares his heartfelt opinions on his early movies, how he got the part of Sam at that point in his career, and what it was like to be on set for nearly two years of his life. How did he and the other cast members get along? What were the excitements and the dangers they faced during filming? What happened the evening that Elijah Wood lost the keys to his room? How did Sir Ian McKellen cope when he didn't like the music the hobbits listened to during make-up and what happened when the crew considered striking? Revealing and immensely readable, There and Back Again is the behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in the making of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. "The most penetrating account of the Rings shoot." The most penetrating account of the Rings shoot. Empire The most penetrating account of the Rings shoot. Empire The most penetrating account of the Rings shoot. Empire The most penetrating account of the Rings shoot. Empire Full of titbits, tales and tantrums from the set, it's a great insight into everything that happened in New Zealand during filming. SFX.