Andy Serkis | The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is New Zealand’s pride as one of the most successful film franchises in history. Moreover, in between the three movie releases, the franchise has won 17 Academy Awards. And to say that the cast and crew have worked hard to achieve such a feat may be an understatement. Reports say that tons of injuries occurred during the filming of the movies.

All three of the LOTR movies have a combined budget of $300 million, and all had a combined gross of over $2 billion in the box office. As such, it’s pretty safe to say that the producers and studio had their investments worth. And who got paid the most? It may come as a surprise, but Andy Serkis, the actor who played Smeagol/Gollum, was paid $1 million, trumping Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Woods. Indeed, underestimated actors like Andy deserve all the success and wealth they have right now.