Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin forced to sell home over low wage

Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin was forced to sell his house at the height of his fame after taking a measly wage on the blockbuster trilogy. Despite the fantasy franchise grossing $4.3bn ($US2.9bn) worldwide, Astin earned just $110,000 ($US75,000) per movie to play hobbit Samwise Gamgee. The 55-year-old actor explained that even though he was famous, he didn’t earn enough to pay his mortgage. “I was not prepared for that level of visibility,” Astin told The Guardian. “There was a disconnect between the attention that I was getting and how much money we had. It was not a lot of money! “In fact, I had to sell my house because I negotiated such a small amount on the trilogy.” MORE: $5m feud: Inside war for Peter Brocks fortune ‘OMG’: Grey’s Anatomy star quit US for Aus Jimmy Barnes hides $20m in ‘difficult’ life Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin was forced to sell his house at the height of his fame after taking a measly wage on the blockbuster trilogy. Picture: Thomas Cooper/Getty Images Astin earned just $US75,000 per movie to play hobbit Samwise Gamgee. Before filming began, Astin had bought a home with a $357,000 ($US250,000)-a-year mortgage commitment, expecting his career mov...