Award-winning actor Sean Astin appeared at Dragon Con once again for our 40th celebration. Beloved for his role as the steadfast and loyal Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, he’s played an amazing number of other roles, including the plucky Mikey in The Goonies, the indomitable football-player-wannabe in Rudy, and the lovable Bob Newby in the second season of Stranger Things. Astin is also a voice actor, a writer, and the current president of SAG-AFTRA. The amazing thing about this multitalented man, though, is that he’s as charming and friendly as the characters he often portrays.
The panel “Bringing Sam Gamgee to Life—A Visit with Sean Astin,” Saturday at 11:30AM in Hyatt Centennial II-IV, moderated by Tony P. Henderson, began with a selfie session. Astin strode onto the stage, turned his back to the crowd, and filmed himself and the audience. “I had to take a video!” he said with joyful exuberance. “My wife isn’t going to believe this!” He seemed surprised that so many people had come to see him. He must not realize how much we appreciate his unforgettable portrayals of characters we love.
After that sweet intro, Henderson asked him about the octopus in The Goonies, specifically if Astin thought it should have been kept in. He replied with a vehement “No!” To him, at the young age of 12, it had seemed real. But that leg made of foam, in his words, “blows!” These days, he noted, it would be CGI and really cool.
In reply to a question about how he got the role of Sam Gamgee, he said his father, John Astin (the original Gomez Addams), worked with Peter Jackson in New Zealand as the judge in The Frighteners. The pictures his father brought back inspired Astin with a desire to go there, and to work with Jackson. When Astin finally got to audition for the part, the dialogue was so good he thought a monkey could have done it well. Then, to the crowd’s delight, he recited the part where Samwise is trying to wake Frodo, telling him he can’t die, to remember the Shire, the strawberries and cream. It brought tears to at least one pair of eyes.
Apparently, Jackson had just watched Rudy. (Astin paused with a grin and reminded the audience that Rudy had sacked the GA Tech quarterback.) Jackson liked Astin’s work. He said he felt no anxiety at the audition because of that. It seemed to Astin that the universe conspired to make it happen for him. When he heard he got the part, he dropped to his knees in gratitude. He knew this role was going to change his life.
Ever since, he and the other members of the fellowship have been “traveling around in a pack, getting second breakfasts.” These conventions keep them connected. He compared it to the community we’ve had here at Dragon Con for the past 40 years. He was amazed at the talent and creativity shown by our attendees.
When asked about what it’s like to be president of SAF-AFTRA in the current political climate, Astin had a lot to share. First, he paused to thank the audience for coming to see him. “It’s freaking awesome.” Then he got more serious and talked about some of the things he’s learned.
Astin realized that people don’t tend to change their minds easily. They speak their beliefs with passion and conviction. If you argue, their opinions tend to harden. But if you just listen instead, they’ll slow down after about eight minutes and begin to get repetitious and self-conscious. Since you’ve listened to them, they’ll feel obligated to listen to you. They’ll be far more receptive than they would have been otherwise. Even if you don’t change their minds, at least you’ve had a chance to see things from their perspective.
As SAG-AFTRA president, Astin’s job is to protect the work. In recent years, he said, 30% of jobs in the entertainment industry have gone overseas. “The number one silver bullet,” he said, “would be to pass a federal tax incentive.” Canada, England, Bulgaria, Australia, Mexico, and others are offering great tax incentives. The jobs follow. Politics aside, now is the first time in 20 years that the union is making progress with political leaders on this issue. They need leaders to push for this, and President Trump just put out a strong statement of support. All labor unions should do the same.
“We’re taking tens to hundreds of thousands of jobs,” Astin said. “The crew of Stranger Things killed me right here in Atlanta,” he added. “State tax incentives brought the industry here… Any tax incentive is good for business.” What can we do to help? “Be aware and offer support.” Unions, he noted, are “the last bulwark that holds the line” for workers.
Astin also reminisced about his role in Memphis Belle and getting to fly in a real B17. He spoke of the cramped quarters, the freezing temperatures real aircrews endured, the boom-boom of the two .50 caliber guns. Astin felt claustrophobic in the glass bubble of the ball turret— even though it was hanging in the studio, not thousands of feet in the air. He remembers starting to have a panic attack and thinking, “I’m going to die.”
When asked where he has his Fellowship tattoo, he said it’s on his ankle. Above it, is the word for the number nine, in Elvish—supposedly, he added with a laugh. At one point, he called his wife and asked her to send him her signature. She wondered why and was hesitant to put her signature online. He finally convinced her to send him part of it, just her first and middle names, Christine Louise. He had her signature tattooed above the Fellowship as an anniversary present. When he showed it to her, she said it wasn’t finished. Above it should be the words “Return to.”
He spoke of the joy of being a kid in the 80s, the freedom to roam, the sweetness of that time. He feels it was a suspended moment, when being a child was fun. He had a toy Millennium Falcon. Movies started to look so real. He thinks it’s nostalgia, too. People tend to gravitate to something that echoes a moment. He encouraged the next generation to “be free to create!”
Inevitably, as all things do, the hour ended, but Astin’s journey continues. After he’s been out there chasing his dreams for a while, we hope he’ll come back to Dragon Con again.
