Customer Reviews

There and Back Again : An Actor's Tale

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I found that this autobiography was irritating, interesting, intruiging, and ultimately, a bit saddening.

I was left feeling that I cared for Sean Astin, in all of his naive, tangled complexity. I also worried that this book could only do his future harm. (Sometimes it really isn't useful for anyone to find out what someone was really thinking during an event or conversation; sometimes it's just best that we can't read each other's minds...sometimes it's best that people keep their mouths shut.) Sean chooses a breath-taking honesty in this book that I can only feel is foolhardy, in terms of his future. He displays himself in all of his (no-doubt) ADD complexity-- he's ambitious, aggressive, insecure, overly serious, naive, sensitive, suspicious, and yet endearing in a strange and complex way. Many people with ADD, (and I have little doubt that Sean manifests at least some aspects of ADD) do not quite realize how they are coming across to others.

I do think that he can be a fabulous actor, when given good material. And in some ways it is his open-ness that makes him such a good actor. I just wish that someone had edited this book more judiciously. (Geez, edited it at all) And led him to include less of his own tortured navel-gazing, and more of the anecdotes that fans longed for... This could only have helpful for him in terms of his career, and this book. Much of the writing here is actually eloquent. It just truly needed an editor.

I hope fervently that the industry will recognize the courage reflected in this book. I actually came to feel affection for Sean and only wish him the best. I hope that Hollywood can see what I see; a complex character that pulls you in and reflects a sincere and open individual who, in spite of trying so hard to "play the game" is ultimately in some ways too sensitive and honest for his own good.

Yeah, it IS about Lord of the Rings, or at least a good 3/4 of this book is. And let's face it, how many people would care, how many people would buy or even borrow this book from the library if the author wasn't in LotR, and his picture, as his character, wasn't on the book cover, AND the title wasn't a Tolkein rip-off, who in the hell would even give a rat's patootie about Mr. Sean Astin? (Besides Sean himself, I mean. He cares enough about himself, as a "film maker" and an "artist", to make up for the rest of the world's ambivalence.)

In my opinion, Astin's descriptions of the making of the LotR trilogy is pretty interesting, even if most of it was covered, in better detail and with a more positive spin, in the dvd commentary. His writing style is extremely meandering and long-winded, (much like his conversational style), switching back and forth from several points in time, and using some pretty pompous means of expression sometimes. There were sections of this book where it took him so long to get to whatever point he was making that the initial reference was lost or forgotten for me. He lectures and pontificates, (just as he does on the dvd commentaries, to the point of distraction). And as others have pointed out, the book has typos. More than one.

My overall impression of the author/actor after reading this book: He's negative, pessimistic, envious, incredibly insecure, and has an overblown and far too serious image of himself. I'd even go so far as to say that he has delusions of grandeur. He concentrates so much on all the unhappy things associated with the greatest opportunity of his life, filming LotR, that it's hard to believe him when he insists he recognizes it as amazing and special and brilliant. He admits to spending most of the filming disappointed, bored, sulking, jealous, impatient, always second guessing and wishing he could be recognized as the fine "artist" and "film maker" he views himself (his use of those words pertaining to himself kills me everytime.) He wanted Peter Jackson to recognize his ability and experience and was deeply hurt when he wasn't singled out as such. He seemed almost paranoid to me at times, always over-analyzing everyone's motives and disappointed when they didn't respond to him in a "Sean is so great and smart and good at this" sort of way. The fact that he acknowleges that this was inappropriate, and says over and over again that he was a pain in the ass, doesn't quite take the foul taste out of reading about his self-centered-ness and negativity. He was surrounded by other flawed human beings, all of whom apparently managed to get past their disappointment at not becoming bosom buddies with Peter Jackson, most of whom had far more reason to feel under-used and unappreciated and yet managed to maintain perspective and enthusiam throughout. (Astin even quotes his fellow hobbit, Dom Monaghan, as telling him at different points to get some perspective; Astin's whining about money was met with Monaghan snapping "Do you know what people make in the real world? We are so f***ing lucky!" I think Monaghan became my hero for life after I read that.)

Astin talked about how much he admired the intensity Andy Serkis (Gollum, the "wig-puller"--that's another little instance of Sean Astin, 30-year old child actor), and Billy Boyd, who played Pippin. Again, I wish he could have emulated those he admired. Both of these actors were so happy with what they were doing and managed to channel that intensity outward, despite the inevitable disappointments of film making and setbacks of life in general. Astin chose instead to turn his feelings inward and sulk and stew the majority of the time he was filming. Only Christopher Lee seems to have bought into the Sean Astin self-proclaimed charisma, and my guess is that's because he himself is a self-important drama queen.

It's funny--in Astin's discussions about Stuart Townsend and why he was dismissed from the movie (Astin described Townsend as "tortured" and "a black hole of negative creative energy") much of the time what he was describing as Townsend's behavior and attitude was very similar to his own. (No wonder he sympathized with Townsend.) Astin really didn't bond all that closely with many in the cast, a fact he attributes to his being a family man but what I would more likely say is due to his overbearing approach and obnoxiousness. Astin seems to me to be very emotionally immature, as well as someone desperate to prove himself, resulting in a domineering, "I'm in charge" personality that is so off-putting. He has neither the age nor experience nor prestige to pull off such behavior. (Poor John Rhys-Davies, having to put up with Astin--Astin did constant impressions of him from Indiana Jones. Astin thought it was cute and funny. I would have smacked him by day 3.) SA had a very cynical outlook on Elijah Wood exclaiming that they'd all be friends forever; it's a pity that Astin didn't take a clue from his 10-years-younger co-star, who by Sean's own reckoning had things much more together, was wiser and happier and more positive throughout the entire experience. Elijah Wood treated the filming as the most awesome, wonderful, life-changing, if exhausting and ardurous process of his life, and brought enthusiasm and energy to the set each day, despite his own physical exhaustion, while Astin turned it into something, an excuse, even, to feel depressed about getting fat again and how his whole life he's never really had what he wants...and it's his own fault and isn't hindsight a gift. Blah. I pity Elijah Wood, who had to spend the most time with Astin and his poor-me whinging during filming.

There's also an entire chapter of this book devoted to Astin's belief belief that his Return of the King performance was worthy of an Oscar, how he believed he was going to be nominated, how he handled not being nominated...from that entire amazing ensemble, he thought *he* should have been The One. Sigh.... The studio also campaigned for him, and I have to admit, the character of Samwise Gamgee really tugged at the heartstrings, but I attributed that more to the writing than to Astin's over-emoting and awful attempt at a Brit accent. Anyway--all this energy went into Astin's explaining his feelings, but not one word was lent to how Mr. Acadamy Award can't dress himself. (The Grey Havens scene from Return of the Kings, a very difficult and emotionally-wringing scene for all the actors involved, had to be done over because Astin didn't have the right costume on after lunch break. Of course, he doesn't mention anything about that in the book, too busy is he expounding on how he thinks he deserved recognition and laurels for his being an "artist".)

I don't understand, however, how he can devote so much time on how disappointed he was at what was cut out of the theatrical version and how he felt all of his best work had been edited out (He wailed to his wife "They've ruined it!"), and yet so desperately backpedaled when Peter Jackson was hurt by his comments in Time magazine concerning Peter using the wrong take on *that scene*, and that Peter had only captured about 20% of the best work (He told Fran Walsh in an e-mail that Time had gotten it wrong, and yet his book states that that was pretty much what he believed.)He contradicts himself.

Astin even gives a brief overview on the idea that many fans view the LotR trilogy as the gayest movies ever. I don't get the impression that he's a homophobe, just wishy-washy. Why mention it if your overall opinion is "Whatever" ???

Astin insists that he loves working in the industry, and yet the only impression I had was of him being miserable in it, of never being satisfied or appreciating fully what he has.

This may be an honest perspective from Sean Astin, actor and director, but man, is it ever negative. It's sometimes disheartening and wearying and depressing and a downer to read. He's just not as smart and talented and accomplished/astute and likeable as he thinks he is; he will never achieve the level of recognition he wants, mainly because he doesn't have the people/social skills for it. At least, that's what I gleaned from this book. Sean's a malcontent, and always will be. I think most LotR fans who read it will find it interesting, though previously good opinions on the actor who played one of the more endearing characters may be somewhat tainted.

It is a credit to Sean Astin's acting abilities that I was so thoroughly disappointed in this substandard book.

I had greatly admired Sean Astin's performance in LOTR, and was looking forward to reading some interesting anecdotes about the film making experience. I knew that filming a project of that stature would have had some very difficult moments, but I was in no way prepared for the diatribe that I was subjected to.

An uncomfortable feeling started creeping over me almost immediately, when the phrase "my integrity" was used ad nauseam. I am not interested in hearing people talk about their integrity. That should speak for itself. The funny thing is, for all the talk of integrity, very little of it was exercised in regards to his colleagues.

While this book did not contain a lot of dishing, there was certainly plenty of dissing. I lost count of all the left handed complements tossed about, as nearly everyone had a turn at the sniping. (The most notable exception being Christopher Lee. I can only assume that this was due to the fact that he had the decency to assume a smaller role in the films.) Each barb only served to amplify the undercurrent of jealousy and insecurity that ran through the entire book. The shots were not only directed at the cast and crew of LOTR; look for jabs at Brendan Fraser, Warren Beatty, and Johnny Depp, among others. I haven't heard this kind of verbal warfare since junior high.

The incessant whining started to really get to me after I'd read about a quarter of the book. We hear about money problems (I'm sorry, but there is a real difference between maybe having to sell your half-million dollar house, and actual homelessness), his not fitting in, his not being the star (from what I understand, the title of the series is "The Lord of the Rings", not "Sam Gamgee gets Frodo to Mt. Doom"), his weight, and so on, and so on. I slogged through this entire tiresome "biography" in the vain hope that there may be some redeeming value just lurking on the next page, only to finish in disappointment.

Mr. Astin, I'm sorry that Viggo Mortensen seemed aloof and intimidating to you. I'm sorry Ian McKellen didn't take to you. I'm sorry Liv Tyler got more attention in France. I'm sorry Orlando Bloom got more attention everywhere. What I am really sorry for, however, is the fact that you were blessed with such a wonderful opportunity, and chose to focus so intently on the negative aspects of the experience. It made for a really sour read, and not one that I would recommend to anyone.

I have very mixed feelings about this book.

Working in Astin's favor are a clear and engaging style, and the feel that what you are reading is genuine and not overly edited. Astin honestly discusses some matters that are often left behind the scenes, like salaries, the way non-star actors go about choosing roles, and what the audition process is like. His appraisal of growing up in a show-biz family also feels authentic and true as he perceived it. He isn't afraid to say things about the people he discusses that might be perceived as negative, and he frankly discusses matters such as the perceived homoeroticism between Frodo and Sam.

My first criticism is the difference between what this book is marketed as and what it actually is. I did not get the impression, from reading the description, that it was meant to be Sean Astin's life story, but that it was mostly about his experiences on Lord of the Rings. Therefore, I was surprised when almost half the book was devoted to his pre-Rings career. Quite a bit of that section was interesting and worth reading, but it wasn't what I expected. (Because the book did spend a considerable amount of time discussing pre-Rings matters, I was disappointed when he didn't discuss Jeremiah -- a post-Rings project -- at all, as I thought that performance was really excellent.)

Another problem, in my view, is the book's organization. Although the overall structure is chronological, anecdotes tend to skip forward or backward in time, and it gets to be wearing after a while.

But the main disappointment, to me, is the lack of detail and specificity in discussing the Rings production itself. He gives impressions of some of his castmates in a page or two, focusing mostly on the members of the Fellowship, except for Sean Bean, who is almost completely and mysteriously absent. Astin also discusses filming certain sequences, and his accident on the lakeshore, but somehow, I don't feel like I found anything out that is vastly different than what's given to us on the DVDs. More specific stories about the training period and production would have given the chapters on LotR more depth and breadth.

Many of the reviews here refer to Astin's "whining" and self-doubt, but that cuts both ways. On the one hand, it feels authentic and I believe that he really had all of the neurotic feelings he describes. But it is wearing, and even though he constantly deprecates himself for those feelings, they do seem to recur over and over, and he doesn't seem to learn from them.

So while I admire his honesty, I do wish the book had focused a bit more on the Rings production and a bit less on the internal angst. He is clearly a talented writer, and I hope he overcomes enough of his insecurities to put that talent to use in the future.

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, 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. So Astin gained, 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 as well. 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 looking over the beautiful landscape of New Zealand.

Sean Astin gives readers a glimpse of his life and work in "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale." It's not merely for fans of "Lord of the Rings," but also for fans of Astin and the moviemaking experience.

I've been reading Sean Astin's book, "There and Back Again." I got it with some birthday money from a friend. It's enjoyable, but you have to get past Sean Astin's self esteem problems.

It's kind of weird; at one moment he upset beause he isn't getting recognition and then the next he's discrediting any recognition he is given. I imagine that in part that's a byproduct of growing up in such a crazy household and of being a child star. But then Elijah Wood had a somewhat crazy home life and was a child star too a yet he seems to have none of the insecurity that Mr. Astin has. But anyways...my take in a nutshell:

On LOTR: In general Astin seems to consider the Lord of the Rings to be a spectacular piece of film that could have been better. Though Mr. Astin goes to great lengthes to say how brilliant the film was you are also left with the feeling that he thinks it could have been better. However I think his complaints (with the final film in any case) will be resolved somewhat with the release of the Extended Edition.

On Elijah Wood: Naturally Mr. Astin talks about Wood more then any of his other co-stars. He portrays Wood as a genuine, positive, enthusiastic, young actor. He takes two pages to express his admiration for Wood's career and the way he has managed it. He is also admiring of Wood's social graces. However he's not afraid to say that he think's Wood is reckless with his health when it comes to doing stunts. But then, he is "Safety Sean!".

On Dom and Billy: I have to say that Astin's mention of "Dom" , however brief, increased my good opinion of him. Despite Dom's class clown act, Astin say that he is very down to earth and doesn't put up with any crap from people who think they've been cheated in life (hackhack,Astin!hackhack!).

As for Billy Boyd, Astin finds him fascinating and considers him a better actor then himself. Astin also says he loves to listen to him talk, even though he rarely can understand him!

On Viggo: Astin calls him the chocolate fairy, because he'd hand out chocolates to the hobbits:D He also says he is a great artist in addition to being a great actor.

On Ian McKellen: Here there be monsters. Astin reveals (if slightly unintentionally) that he doesn't like Ian McKellen and he doesn't think McKellen likes him either. The majority of the description of McKellen is Astin relating how he "stole" his favorite makeup artist and also McKellen's unmistakable disdain for Elijah Wood's music choices every morning. However Astin admits that he didn't really like Wood's music much either at that time of the morning. Astin's only nice comments about McKellen seem to relate to his being gay, which blows Astin's claims of being "morally conservative" out of the water.

On all the rest: Orlando Bloom gets a small mention here and there, but not much. Some of it positive some of it not. Ian Holm is portrayed as a distant god of sorts. And Astin spends a long long time comiserating with Christopher Lee.

Over all it is an enjoyable read, flawed as it is. So long as you have a desire to learn more about Hollywood workings, or you want to know a little about the making of an epic you won't be sorry you got this book.

You would think it would be easy for an actor from Lord of the Rings to write a bestselling book. Just cover your time in the project with various anecdotes - some funny, some touching, and some amazing - and skip over all the more complex and less entertaining parts of showbiz, such as the money, politics, prejudice, and the tedious work actors have to go through. (Folks looking for a book that IS more about LOTR should check outThe Lord of the Films: The Guide to Tolkien's Middle-Earth on the Big Screen)


Sean has not written this sort of book. In fact, Sean's book is much less about LOTR and much more about him. Specifically, it's about the feelings he has had throughout his adult life. And he doesn't pull any punches, whether dealing with himself, talking about others, or explaining the film industry. This is especially interesting since one of his chapters deals with all the stupid things he's said lately when trying to be candid, funny, or deep. (One of these statements really hurt Peter Jackson's feelings.)

You may be surprised with what Sean has to say about some of the Lord of the Rings actors he's not buddy buddy with. Or perhaps you'll be caught off guard by which actors he became closest too. While he expresses his amazement at the scope and detail of the LOTR project, he also questions the danger the actors were subjected to. He tells us which scenes are his favorites, and which one he can't stand. He tells us why he was so crushed when he first saw the theatrical cut of "Return of the King", and why it was difficult for him to promote it. And homosexuality is not left out, as he discusses the possible interpretation of Frodo and Sam being gay lovers.

Much of the book is about his own insecurities, and the issues of finding himself and finding a direction in his life. Putting these naked feelings on paper for the world to read is very courageous. I know I couldn't do that. By the end of the book, we learn that the most important thing is Sean's life isn't LOTR, or money, or anything tangible. What means the most to him, and what allows him to overcome his obstacles, is his family. In fact, my only complaint about the book is that Sean's pictures (colored photos which appear in the middle of the book) are mostly of himself and the LOTR actors. I wish I could have seen more of Sean and his family. Anyway, if you're mostly interested in LOTR and Sam, you may not like this book. But if you're interested in Sean and his feelings, you may enjoy it. I did.

This is a great book if you like watching career suicide in action! Sean Astin did such an amazing job as Samwise Gamgee, but man, is this book a nightmare! Mr. Astin is a bundle of insecurities, overanalyzes everything, and apparently didn't have any fun at all making this movie because he was so busy analyzing every single interaction and wondering why he wasn't getting more attention at every turn. Sean - relax, buddy, try to have a little fun with it! The reviewer who said that they got tired of reading him be harshly critical and then fawningly backpedaling hit it right on the head. "Elijah Wood never read the books - not that there's anything wrong with that, Elijah is a great actor, he can pull off that kind of thing. Although I would never do that - I had to read the books to get the true Tolkein feel, as did everyone else. But it apparently worked for Elijah, who gave a great performance". That's not a quote, just my overall sense of the style. Yet, I couldn't put it down, wondering just how Mr. Astin would drive the next nail into the coffin of his career. I can't imagine anyone who has read this book will ever want to work with him - he portrays himself as a supremely high-maintenance guy, and one who you ultimately feel like you could never fully trust.

This could have been a much better book, but it reads like a first draft that was rushed to get published, probably to capitalize on the interest in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. That's too bad, because I don't think interest in the making of these landmark films will diminish any time soon. I also don't think Sean Astin's best interests are served by this book. It needed to be edited and structured better.

I was hoping the book would have more inside information, more anecdotes about the filming of the movies. Most of the other reviewers have expressed the same feeling. I didn't mind the first third of the book where the author talks about his early work and life. Once again, I would have appreciated more structure here, not to mention less of an assumption that I as a reader would be familiar with Mr. Astin's early films. I looked in vain for even a filmography in the book to assist me. This is just one place where better editing would have made a more coherent book.

Many other reviewers had complained about the author's "whining" on and on about how miserable he was during much of the filming of LOTR. I admire Mr. Astin's honesty and earnestness in his descriptions of his emotions throughout the filming process. If the book were better structured, he could have expressed these emotions clearly without seeming to go on about it. Clearly, those eighteen months in New Zealand were extremely difficult for everyone involved, and we have to remember that nobody knew then how fantastic the films would turn out to be. The whole thing could have been another Waterworld.

Some reviewers complain that Mr. Astin didn't have enough nice things to say about his co-stars. I think the only person looking bad in the book is the author himself. It's as if his own lack of confidence led him to put himself down before anyone else had the chance. Everybody on the production that he mentions in the book, he manages to compliment or praise, even if he honestly admits that he didn't develop positive relationships with them all.

This is not a bad book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the movie-making business. I am just disappointed because I know it could have been so much better. If a few more people could have read it and given feedback before the final draft was approved, if Mr. Astin could have put it on a shelf for a couple of months and then re-read it with perspective....Oh well, live and learn?

I still like Sean Astin after reading his book, in spite of its flaws. It has made me interested in seeing some of the earlier films he made before LOTR--I even rented "The Goonies" tonight to watch for the first time. I would love to know why Mr. Astin disappears in the middle of the audio commentary...but I guess that's another behind-the-scenes book for him to write...

I read this book hoping to find a behind the scenes look at the making of The Trilogy as seen through the eyes of Mr. Astin, whose characterization of Sam I ultimately grew to really admire by the last film. While this book does contain frequent tidbits about the process of filming LOTR, the bulk of it seems taken up by verbose musings on how miserable and unfair it is to be Sean Astin. There's a ton of backstabbing and whining (albeit very apologetic) that really made for tedious reading. The author comes across as alternately needy, spoiled, self-absorbed, vain, and often desperate for constant validation of his own worth as an artist. (Hey, that describes me a lot of the time, but I don't feel the need to write a BOOK about it.)

The book does have its merits, however. It contains an illuminating history of Sean's many dealings with various directors, actors, agents, and other denizens of the shark-infested waters of Hollywood over the course of his career. There's also a fair amount of interesting information about the business of big studio film production and casting. Sean seems like an sharp, ambitous guy who's bound for even greater heights, but overall I found this to be a very disappointing read. If you're looking for a backstage pass to the making of the Tolkien films, hit those DVD bonus features one more time because much of this material belongs in a therapy session, not a published volume.