10 Best Movies Actors Did After The Lord Of The Rings

It's an old Hollywood cliché that actors who appear in giant franchises inadvertently have their careers torpedoed. Either they do a few movies in a vaguely similar genre and run the risk of being typecast, or they fade into obscurity.

But that wasn't necessarily the case with The Lord of the Rings cast. The trilogy changed the way the film industry and the rest of the world regarded epic fantasy. All of a sudden you could engage a wide audience with character driven plot, emotional dialogue and have a bunch of orcs and goblins running around in the background.

It was also the golden age of CGI, it was sophisticated enough to help facilitate the story but not so over powering that the filmmakers relied on it in place of good narrative.

And, the casting couldn't have been better. Utilising a mix of highly regarded character actors like Ian Mckellen and Christopher Lee and less well-knowns like Orlando Bloom and Billy Boyd was a stroke of genius. You had the big hitters to imbue a sense of gravitas and the smaller names to bring a sense of the every day, particularly with the hobbits.

Although some of the actors had a slow couple of years after these movies, many of them went on to have highly respectable film careers.

Both Elijah Wood and his character had the biggest burdens to bare during the trilogy. Not only did Frodo have the all encompassing weight of the One ring to endure, but the 18 year old Wood needed the acting chops to carry the whole story. He didn't disappoint.

Although he hasn't appeared in too many big roles since The Return of the King in 2003, with exception of a small cameo in Sin City, he has stared in a number of smaller budget movies.

This charmingly tragic but ever humours dark-comedy displayed Woods ability to carry a great story once again. He co-stared alongside the ever watchable Melanie Lynskey. The film centres around the exploits of two neighbours, who after a spat of burglaries take it upon themselves to doll out some vigilantly justice.

What starts out as just a fun concept for a movie quickly turns into a thrilling romp of mayhem as the two characters go to greater and greater lengths to return their stolen goods. The movie skilfully walks a fine line between gritty comedy and a romance story, as the two characters begin to develop a touching affection for one another.

It's one of those lesser known gems hidden in the independent section of Netflix and it's well worth your time.