FanX: ‘Lord of the Rings’ stars tell behind-the-scenes stories, say cast is still a ‘family’

FanX kicked off with a bang on Thursday, with four major “The Lord of the Rings” stars taking the stage to reflect on the making of the films, its legacy and much more.

Around 5,000 people gathered to hear what Elijah Wood (Frodo), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Billy Boyd (Pippin) and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) would say at their panel in the Salt Palace Convention Center.

“I’m only substituting for Sean Astin at the moment,” Rhys-Davies said. “So if you’ve got any questions for Sean Astin, I am more than happy to jump in.”

Astin, who plays Sam, was originally supposed to attend the panel on Thursday, but his “Lord of the Rings” castmates speculated that he was currently busy on set for a different project.

When a fan asked Boyd if he’d call someone on the phone — since the last time Boyd attended FanX, he called Monaghan — Boyd called Astin. The actor didn’t pick up, but was left with a voicemail of the 5,000 fans screaming.

When one fan asked if the fellowship was still going strong, Wood answered, “There’s some of us that we haven’t seen each other in quite some time, but the function of having worked together so closely is that it sort of transcends friendship.”

He continued, “You know, we’re kind of family, and we are among people who knows what it was like to go through that. So we’re sort of linked forever.”

The actors shared some fun behind-the-scenes stories of the filming of “The Lord of the Rings.”

For example, Boyd recalled that he had such a severe toothache at one point that he had to go to the dentist — while still wearing his hobbit costume.

The dentist said that he needed a filling and, because he had scenes to film later that day, Boyd went through the painful operation without a numbing agent.

“I was sweating so much that my feet came off!” Boyd said.

Actors shared other behind-the-scenes tidbits. Wood revealed that he took home a map of Bag End from set and Boyd took Pippin’s scarf.

Rhys-Davies shared the difficulties of filming the Battle of Helm’s Deep, saying that fire engines would turn the hoses on to simulate the rain, “and it trickles down to the back of your armor, into your underpants” and “you’re almost back to being warm again, and then the hose goes on.”

The fans seemed to hang on the actor’s every word, laughing and whooping throughout the panel. Many fans were dressed as iconic “The Lord of the Rings” characters.