‘Because Boromir is a man, as opposed to an Elf, Dwarf or hobbit, he brings, I think, a very human quality to the fellowship.’ Sean Bean is considering his character in ‘The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’.
The role is a complex one: Boromir is the eldest son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor, the southern realm of middle-earth, which is being beleaguered by forces of the Dark Lord Sauron. Having travelled to Rivendale to speak at the Council of Elrond on behalf of his people, Boromir becomes member of the fellowship.
Though noble and heroic, Boromir has a fatal flaw: ‘Being human’ says Bean, ‘he’s more susceptible to the power of the Rings and is constantly having to fight against it. He knows that it’s got a string draw on him and, throughout the journey, that keeps preying on his mind.’ Boromir’s fascination with the ring places the entire quest in peril. As Bean remarks: ‘By the end, although it is too late, he understands why it’s just not possible to take the ring and use it.
With his recent film and television work, the British-born actor has gained two distinct reputations for himself: as a hard man and the lover. As well as playing Alec Trevelyan (006) the good-guy-turning-bad-guy who opposes Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in ‘Goldeneye’ and Sean Miller, the terrorist who pursues Harrison Ford in ‘Patriot Games’, Bean has shown a more romantic side to his personality as the compromised photographer in 'A Woman’s Guide to Adultery’ and as Miller, the gamekeeper lover in ‘Lady Chatterley’, Ken Russell’s T V adaptation of D H Lawrence’s infamous novel.
After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean began his stage career in London’s West End in a variety of Shakespearean roles before making his film debut in ‘Caravaggio’. Other films include ‘War Requiem’, ‘Black Beauty’ and the Robert De Niro spy-thriller, ‘Ronin’, in which he plays the role of Spence, the British weapons expert. On television, Sean has starred in a number of popular series, among them ‘Lorna Doone’, ‘Clarissa’, ‘Scarlett’ and his acclaimed performance in the title-role of ‘Sharpe’ the Napoleonic war hero in the novels of Bernard Cornwell.
A diverse and talented actor, Bean’s recent work had ranged from the gangster Jason Locke in ‘Essex Boys’ to providing the voice for the Nun’s Priest in an award-winning puppet version of ‘The Canterbury Tales’.
Beans role in ‘The Lord of the Rings is both physically and emotionally demanding: grappling with a character who acts quite wrongly for the many of the best motives. Sean Bean describes Boromir as ‘Resolute, determined and clear thinking: a man of battle, Boromir has a very clear opinion about wanting to use the Ring to help his people. But although he has very direct ambitions, he eventually comes to see things in a different light’.