‘One Zoom to Rule Them All’: Lord of the Rings cast reunites for charity

A reunion Zoom call has raised close to US$80,000 (A$116,000) for No Kid Hungry

Stars of the Lord of the Rings franchise have reunited for a special Zoom call to help tackle child hunger in America.

The cast this week joined Josh Gad’s YouTube show Reunited Apart, and re-enacted key scenes from the iconic fantasy movies.

Some of the stars taking part included Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Sir Ian McKellen, and director Peter Jackson.

The video acted as a fundraiser for the charity No Kid Hungry – which runs a national campaign focused on ending childhood hunger in the US.

Gad announced on Twitter that the fundraiser has raised close to US$80,000 (A$116,000) for the charity, which is on top of a $1.3 million donation from Cheerios.

I’m overwhelmed by the response to our newest episode of #ReunitedApart #LordOfTheRings edition. I’m so grateful 4 your messages & the joy it has brought you. More than that, I’m beyond grateful for the close to $80,000 raised 4 @nokidhungry https://t.co/lNcx2CpTKA via @YouTube

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) June 1, 2020

During the call, cast members reflected on their memories of the film series, which began with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. 

“There was nothing better in my life than coming to New Zealand and seeing that beautiful country. It’s been an absolute blessing,” McKellen said.

The cast showed off their matching tattoos – the word “nine” in Elvish script – which was a reference to the nine actors who were part of the fellowship.

They also paid tribute to Andrew Jack, who taught the cast Elvish and passed away from COVID-19 earlier this year.

Jackson said it was time for “everybody to decide what the world after this pandemic is going to be like”.

“It’s a reset moment and it’s up to all of us to make sure that what comes out of it is something better,” Jackson said.