Sean Bean Climbs a Mountain at 2 A.M. in Costume to Skip a Helicopter During Lord of the Rings Filming

Sean Bean in ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring’ (left); Sean Bean in October 2025 (right).
Credit :

Moviestore/Shutterstock; Simon Ackerman/WireImage

Need to Know

• Sean Bean and Viggo Mortensen discuss their experiences filming The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand.
• Bean’s aversion to helicopters led him to hike a mountain in full costume.
• They reflect on the impactful scene of Boromir’s death in The Fellowship of the Ring.

The filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was marked by groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking landscapes, but for Sean Bean, known for his role as Boromir, helicopter rides proved to be a particular challenge.

In a conversation with Empire magazine, celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, Bean noted that he experienced fear of flying during the production. “Yeah, I was very scared of flying at the time,” he admitted.

Bean, now 66, and his co-star Viggo Mortensen, 67, reminisced about their time on set, which included many helicopter rides due to the remote filming locations in New Zealand. Mortensen, who portrayed Aragorn, emphasized how prevalent helicopters were during the shoot.

He recalled a specific scene that showcased Boromir’s internal struggle with temptation, filmed amidst the snow-capped mountains. “That was on a kind of glacier, wasn’t it? It was really, really high up,” Bean remarked on the challenging location.

Mortensen vividly described a particular helicopter ride to the filming site, stating, “It was a 40-minute ride, and there were a lot of downdrafts… You were horrified. You said to me, ‘I really don’t like this. I had to take some pills to just even take the plane from England to New Zealand. I won’t be doing it again.’” Recognizing the daunting nature of the situation, Mortensen recalled his surprise when Bean chose to hike instead of fly the next morning.

“I’ll get up at two in the morning, I don’t care, and I’ll walk up the mountain,” Bean resolved, taking on the challenge in full costume, although Mortensen added, “But you were pretty tired…”

Reflecting on the experience overall, Bean characterized it as “such an adventure.” He expressed appreciation not only for the storyline but also for the camaraderie among the cast and crew: “It was a very unusual experience. I’ve never known anything like it.”

Bean’s character, Boromir, meets his end in the first film, although he reappears in The Two Towers. The deaths of characters portrayed by Bean have become a recurring theme throughout his career, leading him to turn down roles that follow this trend.

As Mortensen acknowledged, Boromir’s death scene remains one of the most profound moments in the trilogy: “That’s maybe my favourite scene. It’s such a beautiful scene… just two people who have a connection… they’ve been at odds until then. And then there’s just such a strong connection.”

Looking ahead, fans can anticipate a new film titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, set for release next year, which features the return of Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo, directed by Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum in the original series.