There And Back Again

Peter Jackson's epic take on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale of The Lord of the Rings has become a cinematic phenomenon. The three films were shot together over a period of eighteen months, during which time the cast became a close-knit family.
Sean Astin is a veteran of more than thirty movies, but he knew that this one - or three - would be different from anything he had experienced before. Cast as Sam Gamgee, Frodo's devoted friend and guide, Sean lived the dream firsthand, even directing a film about camaraderie and friendship within difficult working environments for the DVD release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
In this memoir, Sean shares his thoughts on his early days as a Hollywood child (his mother is Patty Duke and his father is John Astin), including his famous roles in the The Goonies and Rudy, as well as how he finally got the role of a lifetime and what it was like as an actor on the set of The Lord of the Rings. He reveals details of his relationships with the other cast members, including the latent tensions and backstage dynamics, reflects on the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making one of the most ambitious film projects of all time, and offers insight into his decision-making process as he winds his way through an emerging career.
This is a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in making a blockbuster movie franchise, from one of the main actors on the set. But There and Back Again is also a look at Hollywood from the inside, written by someone who proves that with passion it's possible to make any dream come true. Sean Astin takes readers on a journey from Hollywood to New Zealand and back.