Sean Astin: Above Average Joe

Sean Astin may not have classic good looks or the body of an athlete, but that hasn't stopped him from making his mark.

I have always appreciated Sean Astin as an actor. He usually plays very down to earth characters. This married, father of two comes across in his 2004 autobiography, There And Back Again An Actors Tale as sort of an "average Joe" who just happens to be a movie star.

Sean is a self admitted Hollywood brat. That is to say that he was raised by two famous actors. His mother is, Oscar winner, Patty Duke. His adopted father is John Astin, who is best known as Gomez from the original television series The Adams Family. Even with that family history, Sean has made a career out of roles that have more to do with underdogs than glamorous people.

In The Goonies he is a member of a group of unpopular kids whose parents are about to loose their homes. In Memphis Belle he is an ordinary, horny, World War II airmen. In War of the Roses he plays the son of a very bitter, divorcing couple. In Rudy he is a working class kid, with a dream to play football at Notre Dame, who has more heart than talent. He played a Desert Storm soldier in Courage Under Fire. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy he is the faithful companion Sam Wise Gamgee, who was little more than a noble best friend until pushed into action.

Sean is rather short and often overweight on screen. This is counter to the typical movie star description. "While it may sound silly and shallow to suggest that most folks don't go to the movies to watch unattractive people, it's also probably true. At five-foot-seven with a body that does not naturally lend itself to washboard abs and a face that is more cherubic than chiseled, I know I am not the classic Hollywood leading man." He wrote in his book.

Although Sean will never compete for roles with the likes of Orlando Bloom, Sean's "normal" looks will enable him to appear more accessible on screen than traditional good-looking stars. In fact, in his book he reveals just how normal he actually is. He bluntly lays out his insecurities as well as his vanity. "...if you put me through psychoanalysis you'd probably discover all sorts of issues related to loneliness and self-confidence and, yes, entitlement."

Sean Astin may never have a career like Bloom's, but his is far more unique. Good-looking actors come and go. As an average looking actor, Sean has created a little niche that is all too rare in Hollywood. He plays average Joes without ever be condescending.

Sure, we like to see good-looking people in movies, but there is certainly room in them for the likes of Sean Astin.