Sean attended the premiere of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on December 1, 2003, in Wellington New Zealand.

The day began with a press conference at Te Papa museum, with producers Barrie Osborne and Mark Ordesky, WETA head Richard Taylor, and cast members.

John Rhys Davies, Sean Astin, and Billy Boyd at the press conference

The filmmakers were honored at a reception at Parliament hosted by New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Ian McKellen, David Wenham, Sean Astin, and Elijah Wood

Orlando Bloom, Bernard Hill, Andy Serkis, PM Helen Clark, Sean Astin

The red carpet stretched over several city blocks, ending with hundreds of photographers from around the world.

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Then it was on to Los Angeles, for the North American premiere on December 3

Sean and Alexandra Astin at L.A. premiere

Photos by Keith Stern