At a Glance
- Sean Bean refused further helicopter rides while filming LOTR in New Zealand
- He hiked up a mountain in full Boromir costume at 2 a.m. instead
- Viggo Mortensen calls Boromir’s death scene his favorite moment in the trilogy
- Why it matters: It shows the extreme lengths actors take to overcome personal fears on set
The Lord of the Rings is famed for sweeping helicopter shots across New Zealand’s peaks, yet one cast member chose boots over blades. Sean Bean, 66, told Empire magazine that his fear of flying turned every aerial commute into a nightmare during the 1999-2001 shoot.
A 40-Minute Terror Ride
Mortensen remembers the first morning they flew to a glacier high above Queenstown. “It was a 40-minute ride and there were a lot of downdrafts and stuff,” he said. “The helicopter dropped several times and you were white-knuckling it.” Bean admitted he had already “taken some pills to just even take the plane from England to New Zealand” and swore he would not board a helicopter again.
The next call sheet required the actors back on the same peak. Rather than fly, Bean laced up his Boromir boots and left the hotel at 2 a.m. “I’ll walk up the mountain,” he declared. Crew members later arrived by air to find the actor waiting in full costume, ready to shoot.
Trek in Costume
“I was in full costume and I set off before everyone else, but I got there about the same time as everybody else,” Bean recalled. Mortensen added, “But you were pretty tired…” The hike, through snow and scree, replaced a 20-minute flight with a multi-hour climb, yet Bean insisted the detour enhanced the adventure.
“It was such an adventure, you know? In every sense of the word,” he said. “Not just the script and the film, but also our shenanigans and our adventures as people were… It was so unusual. I’ve never known anything like it.”
Mortensen’s Favorite Scene
Both actors reflected on Boromir’s death, which ends The Fellowship of the Ring, released Dec. 19, 2001. Mortensen called the moment his favorite across the trilogy. “That scene… maybe my favourite scene,” he said. “It’s such a beautiful scene. And there are no effects, there are no imaginary monsters. It’s just two people who have a connection… they’ve been at odds… And then there’s just such a strong connection.”
Bean has become known for on-screen deaths, from Boromir to Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. In 2019 he told The Sun he began rejecting roles where the character dies, labeling them “predictable.”
Looking Ahead
The interview appears in Empire’s 25th-anniversary spread for The Fellowship of the Ring. The next Middle-earth film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is scheduled for release next year with Andy Serkis directing and starring, while Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood reprise their roles as Gandalf and Frodo.
Key Takeaways
- Bean’s fear of flying reshaped the shooting schedule, proving personal limits can redirect production logistics
- Mortensen praises the emotional payoff of practical, effects-free acting in Boromir’s final scene
- The actors’ anecdotes highlight the off-camera camaraderie that helped define the trilogy’s legacy
