Peter Jackson's live-action film adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings became pop-cultural icons upon their release in the early 2000s, and even two decades later, they are heralded by many as the greatest fantasy films of all time. Each of the trilogy's installments was a massive success both critically and commercially, cementing Jackson's Middle-earth as the definitive version for countless fans, but this was far from the first attempt at bringing Tolkien's seminal work to the big screen. Before the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, the most prominent The Lord of the Rings adaptation was Ralph Bakshi's animated film from 1978. In terms of quality, Bakshi's take on The Lord of the Rings was a mixed bag. It was mostly accurate to the source material, boasted some beautifully painted backgrounds, and made use of novel animation techniques like rotoscoping, even incorporating live-action footage in a few scenes.

However, it also suffered from poor pacing, some baffling artistic choices, and serious continuity issues that indicated behind-the-scenes turmoil. For example, the film sometimes referred to Saruman as Aruman to avoid confusion with Sauron, yet several takes of characters saying "Saruman" remained in the final cut. Other scenes included artwork and animation that seemed unfinished. The film was certainly not the adaptation that Tolkien's work deserved, but it was an important piece of The Lord of the Rings' history. Some shots even served as inspiration for Jackson's films, such as the hobbits hiding from the Nazgûl behind a log. Yet one aspect of Bakshi's film was nearly detrimental to Jackson's. .

When Astin was cast as Sam, he was entirely unfamiliar with The Lord of the Rings, only having auditioned at the suggestion of his agent. As he has since described in various sources, such as interviews, the cast commentary track for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and even his autobiography, Astin wanted to learn about the source material before filming began. Thus, he went to a bookstore and bought everything he could find about The Lord of the Rings, including the animated film. He decided to start with the film since it would take far less time to consume than Tolkien's novel, and he came to regret that choice. For the most part, Astin enjoyed Bakshi's take on The Lord of the Rings, particularly the film's eerie depiction of the Nazgûl. Yet the animated versions of the hobbits -- especially Sam -- deeply worried him. Even among fans of Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings, Sam is generally considered one of the worst aspects, both in terms of accuracy to the novel and simply as a character. , mainly serving as comic relief -- or at least attempting to.

His personality was best encapsulated by a scene near the end of the film. Frodo Baggins gave a heartfelt, dramatic speech about the toll that the One Ring was taking on him:

Oh, Sam. Samwise Gamgee, my dearest hobbit, friend of friends. After that, if the Ring goes into the fire, and we're at hand? After that, Sam, I wouldn't worry. Just to get there, just to get there. Oh, the Ring is so heavy now, Sam.

If the live-action version of Sam had been in this situation, he surely would have given Frodo some words of encouragement, lending him the strength to carry on. In Bakshi's film, Sam instead glanced around uncomfortably before awkwardly whistling and wandering off. In the novel version of The Lord of the Rings, Sam could certainly be bumbling upon occasion -- even the name Samwise essentially meant "half-wit" in Old English -- but there was a reason that Gandalf chose him to accompany Frodo on such a dangerous mission. Sam was brave, loyal, and tenacious, and he ended up being instrumental to Frodo's success. Bakshi ignored most of Sam's noble qualities, turning him into a goofball who accomplished little.

Bakshi's film only adapted The Fellowship of the Ring and part of The Two Towers, ending shortly after the Battle of Helm's Deep. As such, his version of Sam never battled Shelob, carried the One Ring, rescued Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol, or carried Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom, and it is hard to imagine him doing so. Plans for a sequel to Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings fell through, but Rankin/Bass Productions created an animated The Return of the King film set in the same continuity as the earlier The Hobbit film. Though unrelated to Bakshi's, it picked up roughly where he left off. Rankin/Bass took Sam far more seriously, which is somewhat surprising since the film targeted a younger audience than Bakshi's. This animated Sam had ample opportunity to showcase his courage and resilience, such as when he rejected the One Ring's temptation. Sadly, this is not the film that Astin watched; he was stuck with the dopey depiction of Sam from Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings.

For Astin's audition, he had read the scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in which Sam discovered Frodo's paralyzed body in Shelob's Lair and assumed him dead. This was one of the most emotional moments in the trilogy, especially for those who had not read the novel and believed that Frodo had truly met his end. Through tears, Sam whispered, "Frodo! Mr. Frodo, wake up! Wake up! Don't leave me here alone. Don't go where I can't follow. Wake up!" This led Astin to believe that Sam would be a serious and deeply emotional character, so . He was no stranger to comedic roles, but he did not want to devote years of his life to playing such a ridiculous character. He began to fear that he had made a huge mistake in signing on for Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.

Astin expressed his concerns to Jackson, and the director reassured him that the live-action Sam would be nothing like his counterpart from Bakshi's films. . He had moments of levity, of course, such as the famous scene in which he explained potatoes to Gollum, but he was also the stalwart companion whom Frodo needed. Sam's unshakable determination and resilience made him the favorite character of many The Lord of the Rings fans. Some have even argued that he was the true hero of the trilogy, which is a testament to the strength of his character. Astin later read the novel version of The Lord of the Rings and came to a better understanding of Sam, which he adeptly incorporated into his performance.

In many ways, Sam was the most hobbitish of the four main hobbits in The Lord of the Rings. Unlike the Baggins, Took, and Brandybuck families, the Gamgees were not nobility, nor did they have any sort of unusual reputation within the Shire. Sam did not have a magic ring like Frodo, and he did not become a Knight of Rohan or Gondor like Merry and Pippin. He was a simple, humble gardener who embodied many of the hobbits' flaws but also their virtues. This makes Sam an even more important part of the narrative, as his characterization reflects upon hobbit culture as a whole. Jackson's films finally provided audiences with an adaptation of Sam that did justice to Tolkien's work. It can be fun to watch adaptations of The Lord of the Rings that preceded the live-action trilogy's dominance in pop culture, but Bakshi's version of Sam is best left in the past.

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  The Lord of the Rings