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The Lord of the Rings cast reveal a marathon 3-day crying scene cursed with costume errors & accidental film destruction (and Sean Astin accepts PART of the blame)
Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings cast had some reallllllly bad luck filming the famous Grey Havens scene
Chicago's C2E2 2025 was three days of comics, community, celebrities, and pizza (Pequod's, if you want to know). Read our full recap of the weekend, watch all of the Main Stage panel videos, see all the best cosplay photos, and more. And if you want to do it all again next year, we've got the dates for C2E2 2026, too.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King contains an iconic scene at the Gray Havens which brings fans to tears due to the way it emotionally concludes the story.
It also brings the cast to tears, but for different reasons.
“Frodo, and Gandalf, and Galadriel, and Bilbo going to the Grey Havens had us all crying for the entire day… for the three days. For a few different reasons,” Dominic Monaghan said during The Lord of the Rings reunion panel at C2E2 2025. Monaghan slyly pointed at Sean Astin as he said this, forcing the actor to come clean.
“Sean neglected to put his waistcoat or his vest on after lunch, and we had to do it again,” Monaghan shared.
“We went to lunch, and we came back, and I hadn’t put the vest on, so we filmed all the crying scenes and the hugging, and we had to go back and shoot again,” Sean Astin admitted. Elijah Wood jumped in, saying that the blame wasn’t solely on Sean: “I will have to say, I don’t know if that’s entirely your fault, because there are checks along the way. Our script supervisor should’ve noticed it as well.”
However, Astin wasn’t having it.
“I accept responsibility,” Astin said.
The cast reshot the scene, but another production mishap occurred.
“The film got ruined, it got destroyed, and we had to do it again,” Monaghan recalled with frustration. “Pete Jackson, who’s kind of big on practical jokes, we all thought he was joking.”
With all the chaos that went into filming it, it’s amazing that the scene turned out so well.
You can watch There and Back Again: A Lord of the Rings Cast Reunion from C2E2 2025's Main Stage for yourself, guaranteed by CGC x JSA, as part of Popverse's all-encompassing coverage of C2E2 2025.
Did you miss a C2E2 Main Stage panel? Don't worry, we're filming it all thanks to our partners at CGC x JSA - our official authenticator & grading partner. Here is the C2E2 2025 panel list and release schedule.
About C2E2 2025
Comics, cosplay, gaming, authors, and anime abound in the only pop culture convention in the heart of Downtown Chicago! We've gathered your favorite celebrities, unique exhibitors, incredible comic creators, and larger-than-life literary authors into one place to celebrate the fandoms you love. From the halls of Artist Alley to the depths of the Show Floor, our goal is to provide a space of creativity and fun, but most importantly, one that cultivates a sense of belonging, safety, and inclusiveness.
Dates
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Chicago's McCormick Place
United States
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