Elijah Wood names the best movie of his career that isn’t ‘The Lord of the Rings’

Posted On January 31, 2026January 31, 2026

For many, Elijah Wood will always be Frodo Baggins, the resilient and compassionate hobbit who led Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning 2001 epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to great acclaim, but the actor has had enough of that sole recognition.

Having had a successful career as a child actor, Wood has always been keen to separate himself from the role, not wanting to be simply known as the guy who played a hobbit, and while it might be the role he is most grateful for, he is eager for people to appreciate all of the other movies he has been a part of, too. 

The actor has spread himself across a range of genres in both big-budget and indie productions, stepping away from The Lord of the Rings trilogy with a role in the surreal Michael Gondry movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, while lending his voice to Happy Feet, playing a cannibal killer in Sin City, and even exploring British football hooliganism with Green Street.  

With a penchant for producing and starring in horror movies when he’s not donning his hobbit feet, you might think that one of his scarier roles is one of his favourites, but when he was asked by a Brazilian interviewer, he picked out an emotional drama.

You see, The Lord of the Rings trilogy will always be his favourite thing he’s ever done, but The Ice Storm, released in 1997, is his favourite outside of the classic fantasy series, as it marked a pivotal moment in his career, with Wood transitioning into more mature roles following then-recent turns in the likes of North and Flipper. 

Directed by Ang Lee, the film saw him co-star alongside Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, and Christina Ricci, picking up the Cannes Film Festival Award for ‘Best Screenplay’ and earning acclaim from critics. However, it’s perhaps not one of Lee’s best-known movies, considering that his previous film, Sense and Sensibility, grossed over $100million more, while he’d soon find even greater success with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon a few years later. 

The Ice Storm remains a special memory for Wood, who was able to explore a more emotionally-charged and grown-up role, preparing him for his imminent rise to stardom in The Lord of the Rings.

He explained, “I want to say my favourite, in terms of how it turned out, was Lord of the Rings just because it is really the culmination of so much effort on so many people’s parts and it resulted in a film that, you know, I’m so, so proud of and kind of exceeds my expectations. But beyond Lord of the Rings, I’d have to say The Ice Storm is one of my favourite films that I’ve been in.” 

Wood didn’t elucidate on why he loved the movie so much, but getting to work alongside so many great stars at such a turning point in his career as a growing actor must surely have contributed to leaving a strong impression on him.

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