*TTT - Sam (Sean Astin)*

[Estelyn Telcontar]

How did you like Sam's role and Sean Astin's acting in TTT?

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

I love Sam in this movie. His interaction with Gollum and Frodo... and his wonderful speeches at the end of the movie.<BR>He has truly grown.

[TolkienGurl]

I appreciate the evidence of jealousy and hatred in Sam's eyes when it comes to Gollum. <P>I feel sorry for Sam, especially when Frodo draws Sting and points it at his neck like he is some evil, hated creature. "Mr. Frodo, don't you know your Sam?" he asks as tears course down his cheeks, unchecked.

[Rose, the youngest]

I love Sam. I have thought of him always as the rolemodel of loyalties. I was impressed with him beyond words.

[Massharpoon]

Sam was indeed one of the best characters in this movie. Great job by Sean Astin. If only Frodo ... oh well.

[Mintyztwin]

Sean Austin did an incredible job. Sam is the best part of the movie,in my opinion. Sean Austin did an excellent job portraying Sam's distrust of Gollum, and his despair when Frodo 'bout killed him with Sting. Not that my opinion really matters, but I was very happy with Sam.

[Pookabunny]

Sean Austin never fails to impress me. He never fails to entertain me, and he never fails to make me cry.<P>Sam as Sean Austin....uuuh, I mean Sean Austin as Sam...yea that's what I meant... I thought Sean was SUPERB. Sam's just one of those characters that you cannot change. He's pure and loveable, and I am SO GLAD that he wasn't changed in the movie. And Sean Austin plays him to perfection. Convincing tears! YAY!<P>Sam rocks. There's a reason he always had the last quote in each of the books (I wonder if anyone else noticed... ) - and that's because he's just, well, Sam. There's nothing to compare him to because he's the most unconditional being in LOTR, and I love him!!!

[-Imrahil-]

I also love his portrayal of Sam. I love it, I love it, I love it. All I can say. He is so perfect.

[Diamond18]

All I can say is, thank you Sean Astin for saving this movie for me. I can never truly dislike it as long as there is that wonderful performance to watch.<P>And a lot of what I liked about Frodo in the movie (see Frodo thread for explanation) was a result of the way Sam reacted to it. "Don't you know your Sam?" And the interaction with Gollum was precious. "Po-ta-toes....Oh you're hopeless."

[-Imrahil-]

Yep, its true Sam really did save the movie. His performance in FotR was superb and his performance in TTT was superb. What more can I say?

[Birdland]

Can't add much more, Sean Astin saves the day as Sam. He has a lock on his character. Cudos to "Rudy"!

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I just feel obliged to say that Sean Astin (along with Andy Serkis) was THE outstanding performer in this movie.

[Rose Cotton]

I have just seen the movie. I also have not read anyone else's reply to this thread so that my opinions are all my own:<P>When I first read The Two Towers I fell in love with Sam. And now I think I've fallen in love all over again. I think PJ did a wonderfull job giving him his parts from the book (po-ta-toes) while giving him some new spectacular parts. Sean Astin completely captivated me. If he had Sam doing the chicken dance It still would have felt like Sam because he made the part believable to me. I feel that although the story line was tampered with PJ brought out what the story ment and how the characters were developing. Sam and Frodo's relationship was superb. It showed Frodo being taken in by the ring with Sam coming into a more active role. Sam's speach at the ending was a great climax. Or at least it felt like a climax. And then to finish the movie off with Sam wondering if they will be in a story (OMG FRODO ACTUALLY SMILED!) and Gollum leading them off to Shelob's lair was brilliant.

[Child of the 7th Age]

I loved him! He made the movie for me. Since I did not feel comfortable with PJ's handling of Frodo or Faramir, I was very grateful that Sam came on so strong.<P>Without doubt, Sam is the most appealing character in the movie. That's because PJ's interpretation of the hobbit was on target, and Astin did a wonderful job translating that interpretation to film.<P>Kudos, Sean Astin! I've loved him ever since Rudy, and he didn't let me down here.<P>sharon

[Airehiriel]

He made me cry! What more can I say?

[Nenya]

You guys have said it all, but I'll just have to add: whoever was the first one to say (probably PJ, but you never know)"hey, this guy could be a good Sam" , should be treated as a good for the rest of his/her life. And BtW, Diamond, my words exactly. I like Elijah's Frodo, but it's really the interaction between him and Sean that makes the character work. <P>Now, my only wish is: MORE OF HIM! (and Frodo&Gollum, of course)<P>(And thank god for the ending! One of my favourite Sam-moments,plus we got to see Frodo smile.)<p>[ December 19, 2002: Message edited by: Nenya ]

[Orual]

Sam has been my favorite character since Gandalf caught him eavesdropping when I first read Fellowship. He is the perfect friend, the perfect companion, the perfect character. He is the true hero of the Lord of the Rings.<P>And Sean Astin does him justice. Not only does he really <I>look</I> like Sam, he captures the essence of Sam's personality. His final speech was the only part of the movie that brought tears to my eyes--and did it ever bring tears to my eyes! I was still sniffling as I left the theatre. And though I was kind of going "what the heck?" when Frodo attacked him, his lines ("Don't you recognize your Sam?") came very close to bringing me to tears. He was really the movie's saving grace for me. With the other characters changed so much, especially Faramir and Frodo (and Gimli, I'm tempted to say), Sam being Sam encouraged me.<P>Congratulations, Sean, and if you don't get nominated for an Oscar it'll be a sin.<P>~*~Orual~*~

[Taure Leafsilver]

What can I say, Sam is Sam, Sean is Sam. When he says somthing, you remember. Sam is the kind of person who dosnt talk unless he thinks it matters. I fell in love again and again with him, and cried my eyes out.<P>Sam doing the chicken dance.......interesting.

[Taure Leafsilver]

sam was deffenetly my favorite charater <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> frodo:what is there to eat sam?<BR>Sam:let me check...lembas bread, lembas bread and Oh'look! lembas bread!<BR>Frodo: nothing dampens your spirit does it sam?<BR>Sam: those rain clouds might<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <p>[ December 22, 2002: Message edited by: Taure Leafsilver ]

[Arwen Imladris]

Sean Astin is a great Sam. He was great! He cared so much for Frodo. I also sortof liked the way they did the relationship with Smeagol exept that I think that they played up the tensions between Sam and Frodo a bit too much.

[Eruwen]

Sam is the ultimate Hobbit ever. He is so cool. I think almost all of my favorite quotes from the movie and book involve him in them either saying it or it being said about him. Although I was about to die when Frodo started yelling at him and especially when he almost KILLED him, I'm glad he and Frodo's friendship is coming back into play. I thought that it was fading for a bit towards the end, but it came back after Sam's line (paraphrasing):<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>There is some good in this world worth fightin' for.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>As for Sean, I didn't really know him as an actor before these movies, but he is starting to become one of my favorite actors of all time alongside Elijah Wood, Heath Ledger, and Mel Gibson. (And that says something really good for him, believe me.) Sean did an awesome portrayal of Sam. He not only plays Sam, he IS Sam.

[Nurumaiel]

Just as in the first movie, Sean was WONDERFUL. He played Sam amazingly, from being mean to Smeagol to being heartbroken when Frodo attacked (threatened) him.<P>My only problem with Sam (not with Sean) was that once when Frodo snapped at him he seemed all ready to snap back, though he didn't. He more of defied Frodo. I'm talking about the part where Sam calls Smeagol Stinker and Frodo asks why he calls him that. He seemed a bit defiant, though only for a moment.<P>Both Sean and Sam were great and it almost brought a tear to my eye when he said, "It's me... your Sam. Don't you know your Sam?"<P>~Nurumaiel

[Faye Took]

I love Sam in this movie. I think Sean was the perfect person to play Sam. He really seems to know his character well.

[Arwen Imladris]

Any of you Sean Astin fans wondering what he is doing next?<P><A HREF="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1469963/02122003/id_0.jhtml" TARGET=_blank>Click Here!</A><P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Astin has spent time behind the camera making two short films and directing an episode of the vampire TV series "Angel," and he hopes to delve even further into that side of the business. "I optioned a book called 'Issac's Storm' by Erik Larson," he revealed recently. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Samwise]

Why did I not see this thread? Heck, WHY DIDN'T I START THIS THREAD???<P>Oh, well. When I first heard they were making movies of LOTR, I immediately came on the internet. First, to check out who was playing MY Sam. Well, sorry to say, at first I didn't know who he was until I started reading his movie credits, looked into his eyes in the "Sean Astin as Sam" picture, and after a second went, "MIKEY??? My, how you've grown!"<BR>So, when I first saw LOTR/FOTR, I was looking for <I>him</I>. I was very fond of Mikey Walsh, but how was this guy going to play my Sam? When I laid eyes on him at Bilbo's party, my first thought was: "He's moping 'cause he's too bashful to go near Rose Cotton." and sure enough...<BR>Sigh. But I'm off topic a bit. As for TTT...I got to watch "Sam" grow. I truly enjoyed the fact that one of Sam's most famous lines was included, "PO-TA-TOES!", and I thought the part where he was telling "Frodo" how stories would be written about him, and "Frodo" says, "You forgot the part...about Samwise the Brave", and Sam stands there (still humble, but you can tell he likes the idea) "Samwise the Brave..."<BR>and, as has been mentioned, "Mr. Frodo, it's your Sam! Don't you know your Sam?" AGH! How many kleenexes that scene alone took....<BR>I've seen pictures, not sure where they're from, but of Sam "mourning" over Frodo...and every one breaks my heart 'cause of Mr. Astin's expression. Oi....<BR>Mr. Astin, you did my Sam proud!

[Eressië Ailin]

All I can say is that I don't like Sam that much. I really don't like the character. How can some one not like Gollum? But Sean Astin did an EXCELLENT job at portraying the evil fuzzy-footed spy. Sean and Sam... they are one in the same.

[Arwen Imladris]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Sean Astin can soon be seen in the Sci-Fi tv series 'Jeremiah'. Sci-Fi Magazine has the first pic of him seen anywhere. Take a look! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.theonering.net/movie/scrapbook/large/6157" TARGET=_blank>Pic is here!</A><P>Today, February 25th is Sean Astin's (Sam) Birthday! Sean Patrick Astin was born on February 25th, 1971. That makes him 32 today! Happy Birthday Sean!

[Lady Iverin]

I think Sean did a wonderful job as Sam. You can really see the love and devotion in his eyes in the movie. He is truly an amazing actor!

[Samwise]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> There's a reason he always had the last quote in each of the books (I wonder if anyone else noticed... ) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>???? (Embarrassed that she didn't) <BR><A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Number_3_Bagshot_Row/?yguid=39722730" TARGET=_blank>*******#3*******</A>

[Luthien_ Tinuviel]

You all took the words right out of my mouth... especially Orual, Samwise and Eruwen. Eressië Ailin, how can <B>anyone</B> dislike Sam? ...Spy? SAM A SPY? Ok, ok, I 'll stop. I never realized that my (our) Sam had the last quote in every book. Very cool! Sam is my favorite character, and Sean Astin is my favorite LOTR actor. Sean Astin <I>is</I> Sam in the movies. Sam is just the greatest hobbit there is . And Sean A.'s expressions in TTT are really meaningful. He can say a lot just by looking at someone. I hope to see even more of Sam in ROTK. And yes, just like several others of you, almost all of my favorite scenes, movie and book, involve Sam. Go Sam!

[mordor136]

Sean Astin is the perfect person to portray sam he proved that in Fellowship and reassured my beliefs in TTT

[Arathiriel]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>All I can say is that I don't like Sam that much. I really don't like the character. How can some one not like Gollum? But Sean Astin did an EXCELLENT job at portraying the evil fuzzy-footed spy. Sean and Sam... they are one in the same. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><B>Excuse me?!!</B><P>How in the world could you NOT like Sam? <P><I>*is flabbergasted*</I><P>I loved Sam since I first read LOTR for the first time and Elbereth I absolutely <B>LOVED</B> Sean Astin's portrayal of Sam - Could they have found another to play our Samwise better? I don't think so! <P><I>*sighs*</I><P>I wish the wait for ROTK wasn't so <B>BLASTED</B> long!

[HCIsland]

I really like Astin's Sam, better than the one in the book. It's a class thing, but I never really liked the whole servant-master relationship between Frodo and Sam in the book and they are far more like equals in the film. Although by RotK this is no longer true, I found the earlier Sam too much the lap dog. A little too much Waylon Smithers for me I guess. <P>H.C.<p>[ March 30, 2003: Message edited by: HCIsland ]

[Estella Brandybuck]

Oh boy... this'll take awhile.<P>Well, I watched FotR for the first time before I had ever read the books, and I wasn't very familiar with them. All I knew was that the previews seemed interesting, and my then-boyfriend (named Sam, coincidentally ) had read the books and loved them. So I thought, what the heck?<P>By the end of the movie, I'd fallen in love, thanks to Mr. Astin and his performance of Samwise Gamgee.<P>So I read the books, and fell in love all over again. When I saw TTT, I was a bit miffed at some parts, but whenever Sam came on-screen, I always felt better about the movie. Sean Astin once again did justice to my beloved Sam.<P>And absolutely no offense intended to anyone who feels otherwise, but I really don't see how anyone could dislike Sam. The romantic sap in me sees him as the kind of guy I would want to marry. The other part of me sees him as the friend and companion we should all aspire to be - loyal to the end, valiant when necessary, and with tons of good hobbit sense.<P>Wow, I managed to contain my Sam-gushing to only a few paragraphs... it's a miracle!

[Luthien_ Tinuviel]

Well, so in a moment of boredom, I go looking through my old posts. What do I venture upon but this wonderful old thread? And some lovely new posts. My personal favorite bit:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> The romantic sap in me sees him as the kind of guy I would want to marry. The other part of me sees him as the friend and companion we should all aspire to be - loyal to the end, valiant when necessary, and with tons of good hobbit sense.<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I couldn't have put it better. I agree completely. Spot on! <P>My own little addition: I think Sean Astin's performance has helped me to love Sam all the more. I have this great urge to name something after Sam... Or marry someone like him... or something.

[Knight of Gondor]

I loved Sean Astin's performance. And I think it's sad he had to gain so much weight to get the part.<P>Tell me: Sean Astin is the only actor I've heard of in LotR who hasn't done a bunch of other junky movies. I'm a real stickler about not seeing junky movies, and don't think too highly of those that do. Does anyone know if Sean has done any cruddy movies? It would make me think ever so much higher of him!

[Imladris]

First off, Sam was never one of my favourite characters when I was younger and first read the books. And when I first saw Astin in the movies I wasn't, say, thrilled with his performance. However, after reading the books a couple more times and seeing the movies a zillion more times, I have to agree with you all. He's great as Sam and he made me like Sam. I say that when an actor can do that to you, he is the character that he is playing.<P>Knight of Gondor, that depends upon your definiton of a junky movie. He was in the Goonies when he was younger and I thought that that was a junky movie. He was also in another movie (forgive me, I don't remember the title and I only saw the last half of it or so) where he was trying to start a rebellion against a government that banned art and music. It was kind of...odd and the ending wasn't the exactly the best, in my opinion.

[Reyna Evergreen]

Although I've never particularly loved Sam (don't hurt me!), the way the PJ portrayed him in the movies was outstanding. This, coming from the man who butured Faramir, corrupted Helm's Deep and sex-iconned Arwen, and then did such a great job with Sam. One starts to think how he did it. Screwing up those seemingly more important characters, but having Sean Astin as Sam just taking the cake.<P>And I feel for those who cried for his scene. I barely ever cry for movies, but Sam's speech at the end of TTT was a tear-jerker.

[Mariska Greenleaf]

Reading the book, Sam wasn't my favourite character at all, I liked all the other hobbits a lot better! Seeing the movies, well, he still isn't. Don't get me wrong, Sean is a good actor, he plays a good Sam, but well, it's not really working for me, but it's hard to explain why exactly, I guess I just don't like the looks of him.

[Ainaserkewen]

Samwise? He's an interesting character...at least for me. Sometimes, when watching the movie, I want to reach out and give him a big hug because of the cruelties he has to go through...sometimes I want to hit him because he's being stupid, and sometimes I want to puke because he's said something incredibly corny...That in my eyes, is not only a well developed character, but a good actor...<BR>-cheers