It’s been tough going for many of the ex-Hobbit’s in their post middle-earth careers, well perhaps not that tough, they’ve led far more lavish and meaningful lives than most of us ever will. However, it’s hard to follow something as blockbusting and popular as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and the actors later exploits have never really left the shadow of the trilogy that brought them household fame.
For the most part it seems Hollywood has stopped tapping on the doors of the Hobbit-Holes.Elijah Wood has moved into producing, Dominic Monaghan skulks through caverns searching for creepy crawlies in his show WILD THINGS and Billy Boyd has all but dropped off the radar taking small TV roles. Sean Astin, better known as Samwise Gamgee is also still wearing his acting boots but his latest venture is in a different direction. He’s began hosting Vox Populi, a political web show that interviews two guests on opposite fronts of a certain issue. Austin has set about raising thirty thousand dollars to take expand the show through Kickstarter a online organisation that creates a front to fund creative projects independantly.
He spoke about his ambitions with Deadline:
“I’ve done 35 shows so far, and I’ve got 12,000-15,000 loyal listeners each week,” said the ex-halfling . “I decided yesterday was the time to launch Kickstarter, the day of the government shutdown, when the entire world focused on how the most important lawmakers don’t have the ability to work within a system and communicate effectively. I feel I have a calling, to sit with people who have conflicting viewpoints, and get them to communicate even if they disagree with the other person. I’ve done all of this myself, from choosing the topics, to researching and pulling clips and booking guests. It would be nice to get a booker, a producer, and a social media person to help build this into something.”
There are many shows of this nature being ignored already, perhaps what they all need to create a sincere forum for political discussion is simply the stout heart of a little Hobbit.
Source: Deadline