Actor Sean Astin talks of making a difference to URI students

11/17/09 - Sean Astin came to the University of Rhode Island's Edwards Auditorium last Thursday evening to give a talk about what he learned in The Goonies, Rudy, and Lord of the Rings as part of the Student Entertainment Committee's Fall Frenzy.The night started with a compilation of scenes from Astin's most prominent and beloved roles. Astin humbly walked on stage, wearing a sports jacket and studious-looking glasses, and insisted, "I have something to say."

I was under the impression that Astin would give a candid talk about his work in Lord of the Rings, one of the most successful trilogies in cinematic history. On the contrary, Astin had prepared a speech covering topics ranging from politics to volunteerism to morality. Is Astin really as innocently idealistic as Sam in Lord of the Rings? No-he just wants to make a difference.

Astin admitted that people can be skeptical about what actors say outside of the movie business. "It can be challenging to overcome biases," he said. He insisted to his audience of hopeful college students, however, that "everyone has a role to play."

Clearly, Astin is trying to branch out of his role as an actor into one that perhaps more directly serves the public good.

"Acting is an incredibly rewarding profession, but is it enough?" he said. "I've had lots of other plans." Astin has a passion for politics and served on former President George W. Bush's volunteerism council.

As promised, Astin spoke about what it was like to work on Lord of the Ringsand its filming, which took several years.

"In the amount of time it took to film, someone could have completed their PhD dissertation," Astin said.

Unable to put the overall experience into words, Astin joked, "It was, you know, pretty good."

The Lord of the Rings phenomenon introduced Astin to the publicity machine, which he describes as "overwhelming and life-altering."

However, Astin says that he has his wife of 18 years and three daughters to keep him grounded. "My family is normalcy and my humility elixir," he said.

Speaking briefly about his lead role in Rudy, Astin said he learned "grit and determinism can be the great equalizer between the classes." Playing the role taught him "to have a true sense of self."

Astin tied his roles on the silver screen back to the topic of leadership, describing it as "a way of being."

"No, I'm not as good, loyal, brace, or decent as Sam [in Lord of the Rings]," Astin said. "So what can I do to reconcile these competing realities? I can be a leader."

Ending on such lofty terms, Astin left time for questions from the audience, mostly relating back to his experiences making of Lord of the Rings. When asked about his biggest challenge making the films, he said it was the required weight gain.

"When I looked in the mirror, I saw this fat bastard," Astin said.

Astin showed the audience the Elvish "9" tattoo on his ankle and told the story of how all the actors went to a tattoo shop together.

"I held Ian McKellen's hand," Astin joked.

Though Astin insists he's not as good or honest as his most famous character, his talk highlighted the importance of each person finding his or her own special role in life-even if Astin couldn't escape talking about Samwise.