The journey to throw the One Ring into Mount Doom certainly proved dangerous, yet the behind-the-scenes footage for The Lord of the Rings shows the filming came with its own dangers as well. Numerous cast members suffered painful cuts and broken bones while filming across New Zealand, but their attitude to laugh it off and keep going shows everyone's dedication to the films.
The Lord of the Rings DVDs and digital downloads usually come with hours of behind-the-scenes footage that is just as entertaining as the films themselves. It really shows how the trilogy was a labor of love for everyone working on it, which comes across in the finished product. From watching actors Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davis sprint over hills, to Gollum actor Andy Serkis splashing around in a river of rocks, it's clear that the performances came first.
One of the earliest injuries was near the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, as Samwise Gamgee actor Sean Astin hurries into the lake after Frodo begins to sail away. As seen in the cut footage, Astin steps into the lake and treads right onto a large shard of glass, which impales his foot. The cast and crew gather around as the shard is pulled out, and while Astin plays it cool, the wound bleeds so much that they have to call a helicopter to take him to the hospital.
The filming for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers seemed to come with the most injuries for Aragorn's actor Mortensen. One of the most popular bits of trivia for the film is during the scene when Aragorn finds a pile of burning orc bodies, assuming Merry and Pippin are among them. Director Peter Jackson made Mortensen kick a helmet and cry out in anger several times, and on the final take, Mortensen kicked the helmet so hard he broke his toe, resulting in a yell so good that the take made it into the film. Mortensen also had a near-death experience while filming a scene where he floats down a river. He was caught in a current between a cliff and got submerged underwater for a lengthy period of time, causing panic amongst the crew.
While there were many serious injuries, there are some the cast enjoy joking about. For example, Legolas actor Bloom fell off a horse and ended up with a broken rib. While he garnered sympathy at first, his fellow castmates all make fun of how much Bloom complained about the pain for weeks. And the same reaction happened to Merry's actor Dominic Monaghan while running along with Bucklebury Ferry, as he cried out in pain only to find out he had stepped on a small splinter.
While the filming may have been rough for some actors, it's fascinating to watch their level of dedication to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which definitely comes across in all three beloved movies.