There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale

A very interesting insight to the life of an actor and the journey to making a blockbuster hit like The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

I traveled a lot in my last job and got sick of the radio and my own CDs. I got this by mistake. I was in a hurry when ordering and ordered the CD instead of the book (which I went back and got later). I was mad at myself at first, I never listen to books on CD or tape. But one day the boredom of my drive and music got to me so I thought, "What the heck." Well, I found myself driving the longer roads just to get in as much of this as I could at a time. Not only is it the Sean Astin telling you his story, himself; it's a good story. A must have for fans! It really is a tell all, in a way. You get some gossip and find out what an A-lister does on a movie set and how relationships form. I can't wait to hear it again now!

Sean Astin is best known to film geeks around the world as Sam Gamgee, the lovable gardener in "Lord of the Rings." But there's a man behind the hobbit, and in "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale," Astin gives us a glimpse of his life, his work, his family, and his time during the making of the immortal film trilogy. Astin was born into a Hollywood family -- his mother was Patty Duke, and the guy he thought was his biological father was John Astin. But his early family life was marred by Duke's manic-depressive illness, and the question of who his biological father was (he now calls four men "Dad"). He made his movie debut in "The Goonies" when he was thirteen, and continued acting in various movies including "Rudy," the recent goofy romance "50 First Dates," and even created a sweet short film, "The Long and Short of It." In 1998, Astin got the role of a lifetime -- Samwise Gamgee, hobbit Frodo Baggins' loyal pal and pillar of strength. So Astin gained weight, packed up his wife and daughter, and went to idyllic New Zealand for eighteen months. In this book, Astin reveals the hardships, the revelations, and the friendships from the vast movie shoot, and what came after. People just looking for more behind-the-scenes movie dirt may be initially disappointed by "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale," since it focuses a lot on Astin's non-"Rings" life. But this isn't just a "Rings" story -- it's Astin's story. He focuses not just on the "Rings" trilogy, but on his own struggles and triumphs. And his life story is an interesting read that seems to mirror Astin's own personality: erudite, funny, friendly, sad and family-oriented. But the "Rings" shoot is pretty fascinating, especially since Astin was right in the middle of it. He gives us a better idea of what his costars were like (Viggo Mortensen likes to "blow through a party handing everybody a copy of three different books that he's read, and then move on"), and how they felt about him. One particularly interesting part is Astin describing the time ex-Aragorn Stuart Townsend spent on the set, and the reasons why Townsend didn't work out in the role. Astin frank and candid, doesn't whitewash the truth, but also seems quite generous with his costars. Sometimes he comes across as a bit whiny and know-it-all-ish, but he's also the first one to admit it. Everyone has their arrogant moments, but Astin is brave enough to bare his unflattering mistakes before the world, and say he was wrong. And his writing (with Joe Layden as coauthor) is polished and literate -- not something you see in many Hollywood autobios. Astin also includes a load of personal pics. Most of them have a very laid-back, almost intimate feel -- the hobbits and their costars hanging out, showing off their costumes, bungee jumping, or filming (including Elijah Wood covered in webbing). Not to mention ones like Billy Boyd playing with Sean's daughter, or Sean and his daughter loo

I think it's great that we have the benefit of hearing Sean Astin read this himself. He's brutally honest in this book, and I think people tend to be uncomfortable with that kind of approach. He says things that maybe some people don't want to hear. It's not your typical praise and sunshine book, though there's no shortage of positive material. He talks about things that were hard for him, and is honest about his feelings. He's human and not afraid to show it. This is one of the most interesting autobiographies I've ever encountered. Get the audio version so you can hear Sean's words straight from his mouth.

In reading back over some of the reviews by other readers, I must say I'm a bit shocked. It's clear to me, having just finished the book, that it was written as a sort of catharsis for Sean, possibly even a wrapping up of loose emotional ends that needed to be expressed in order to reach a sort of closure to his personal LOTR experiences. I've seen several complaints mentioned, but I can't understand the point of view they're coming from. This book is subtitled "An Actor's Tale", and that's just exactly what it is; an honest, open, insightful look into this wonderful actor's life and experiences leading up to and ultimately focusing on the LOTR trilogy, and how it felt, specifically to Sean, to be a part of it all. The complaint that the book is self-indulgent, for me does not hold water. Sean Astin cannot be expected to write from others' points of view, because this is told from HIS point of view. It's HIS book, after all. I personally found it very enjoyable and tastefully written, as it is not peppered with the non-stop foul language, etc, that many of these kinds of books deluge the reader with. Any coarse language is used appropriate to the given situation. The self-deprecatory nature of the writing I find shows an extraordinary honesty. The ability to admit one's own mistakes is a highly commendable quality, and one that I suspect is rare in the entertainment field. This is a fine book for fans of Sean and fans of LOTR and cinema in general.

Sean Astin's tale of his experience making the film where wholehearted, honest, and hilarious at times. He depicts the life of an actor with a tinge of humility and hope. Highly recommend the book to those interested in an honest portrayal of an actor's trial and tribulations and his emergence into stardom. For those of you LOTR fans, it's a good to see the fine minute details that went into making one of the greatest films of all time from the perspective of Samwise Gamgee. Kuddos to the authors for a fine piece of work.