“I preferred doing it that way”: It’s Not a Drill, Sean Bean’s Worst Fear Made Him Actually Scale Mountains Everyday to Film Lord of the Rings

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings has a lot of iconic sceneries that were filmed in real locations, and one of the most unforgettable tidbits in the making of the movie was the time Sean Bean decided to walk and climb mountains to get on set.

The actor apparently refused to ride a helicopter due to his fear of flying. Bean trekked about two hours to get to the place they needed to film in, and his colleagues found it hilarious yet impressive as well.

Sean Bean trekked mountains in his Boromir outfit during filming of The Lord of the Rings

Sean Bean played Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, and along with his exceptional portrayal, he also went to extreme lengths to arrive on set. It would have been easier had he taken the chopper, but the actor has a fear of flying so he opted to take the long and hard way.

Related

“There was always a bit of a [dark] side”: Game of Thrones Broke Sean Bean’s 1 Career Streak Even ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Couldn’t Touch

Director Peter Jackson recalled the funny story of how Bean trekked the mountains as he could not endure helicopter rides. He described how their day would begin with everybody moving by air to a new location, and at 7:30 in the morning, they would spot Bean down below in his Boromir costume looking like a tiny speck climbing the cliffs. He said the actor looked like a “human fly on the wall.”

His dedication would cost him two hours of climbing, but granted the scenes were spectacular, the actor might have enjoyed his time despite the difficult undertaking. The 65-year-old English star would not have it any other way, as he said in the behind-the-scenes documentary of the special extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring (via YouTube):

They used to see me from the helicopter, you know, and I was sweating at the end. It was like a real adventure getting over that mountain to get to the set, but you know, I’d have preferred doing it that way.

His costars knew how terrified Bean was on his first time riding the helicopter. Legolas actor Orlando Bloom sat next to him and saw the Game of Thrones star’s hand clasped on his knee with the knuckles looking bony white. It must have been a really frightening experience!

Sean Bean unexpectedly lived his own The Lord of the Rings adventure

The hike was not entirely a negative thing after all since Bean had a really good exercise there. It also looked very fitting for him to have some side quest while sporting his Boromir getup, making his time on the set even more memorable.

Related

Sean Bean: One Unaired Game of Thrones Episode Had “Some very good moments” Nobody Will Ever Get To See

That story has become a part of The Lord of the Rings myth, and it’s even more fun looking back on it after many years have passed. Bean brought a whole new level of charisma to Boromir, and this bonus trivia only just made his character even more admirable.

The Lord of the Rings is currently available to watch on Prime Video.

This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire