Saturday is traditionally the busiest day of the 3-day Los Angeles Comic Con at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and this one featured appearances by the four original hobbits from Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd.
Read on to find out about their appearance as well as hear from some of the day’s cosplayers.
Cosplay crusaders
By day, Devin Murphy is a UX designer at Riot Games in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she creates elaborate armor, mechanical wings, headpieces and weapons from plastic, PVC pipes and foam to cosplay characters from her favorite video games.
“I like to make stuff so it’s a nice little way to challenge myself creatively,” she said. “Then I get to show off that effort and those skills to people like me – weird people who like to make things and hype each other up.”
Murphy and other pop culture fans were out in full force Saturday at Los Angeles Comic Con 2023 to attend panels, get autographs and buy merchandise and art from “Star Wars” to “One Piece” and everything in between. Most attendees were costumed head-to-toe as characters from “Loki,” “The Mandalorian,” “My Hero Academia,” and countless others.
Mike Simms, his partner Caroline and step-daughter Aria came from San Diego to experience the con dressed as characters from the “Demon Slayer” anime. While they’ve been to WonderCon and others around Southern California, it’s their first time coming to LACC – and 9-year-old Aria’s first time at any con.
“We’re starting her off young to get her used to it,” Simms said, laughing. “These are our people.”
It was a busy day at the Los Angeles Convention Center. With the SAG-AFTRA strike in the rearview mirror, the schedule featured panel, autograph and photo sessions with actors from “Stranger Things” and “Ahsoka” to “Attack on Titan” and “House of the Dragon.”
Simms said he and his family were interested in seeing Matt Smith, of “House of the Dragon” and formerly “Doctor Who,” as well as Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ivanna Sakhno of “Ahsoka.”
A panel featuring Bonnie Wright, James Phelps and Oliver Phelps, who played Ginny, Fred and George Weasley in the “Harry Potter” films, drew a crowd of fans outfitted as Hogwarts students, complete with wands.
When asked about her environmental activism, Wright said that being in the high-profile movie franchise let her help bring awareness to certain issues – such as the potential overturning of Senate Bill 1137, which prohibits new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, on the ballot in next year’s election for Californians.
“It’s my own interest and passion,” Wright said. “And I have the privilege to hold a microphone up and pass it to people who have these problems on their doorstep.”
‘Rings’ reunion
The highlight of the day was a late afternoon panel with actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, the four hobbits of the original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Fans packed the area in front of the main stage and spilled onto the exhibition floor, leading Sean Astin to ask, “Is this going to clog up the whole convention?”
It’s been more than 20 years since “The Fellowship of the Ring” premiered in theaters – and nearly 25 years since they began filming, Wood reminded the cast.
The four actors reminisced about adventures they had while filming, the best food they ate, and various injuries accumulated by the cast, including Boyd’s broken pinky finger and Viggo Mortensen’s black eye (both surfing accidents).
“We have such a patchwork of experiences that we shared,” Wood said. “If I forget, someone else will remember.”
When asked about organizing a larger reunion, Boyd jokingly said, “We’re waiting for the 50th.”
