Elijah Wood: Living without expectation has always helped me in life

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December 2026 will be the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring’s theatrical debut. To kick off what I hope will be a year-long celebration, the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been back in theaters for the last few weekends. Every theater is different, but my local one has been showing Fellowship on Fridays, The Two Towers on Saturdays, and The Return of the King on Sundays.

If you can’t make it to any of these screenings before they leave theaters, you can still catch Elijah Wood in a unique Super Bowl commercial for Skittles next Sunday. He’ll be personally delivering Skittles to a fan, which will be recorded and streamed during the big game. Elijah recently sat down with Parade to chat about the campaign, his favorite Skittles flavor, how LOTR changed his life, and his life philosophy. Oh, and while he cannot confirm or deny whether or not he’ll be in The Hunt for Gollum, he’s down to come back for another movie in general.

Mr. Frodo, Mr. Frodo! “Having someone yell ‘Frodo’ at me is not out of the ordinary,” Wood tells Parade with a chuckle. “You get somewhat used to it…It’s a movie that people watch every year. It’s this sort of thing that keeps extending and still has life to it, which is really lovely.”

Will Frodo appear in future LOTR movies? “There are certainly chapters of Lord of the Rings that weren’t expressed in the feature films that could be interesting. There’s also The Scouring of the Shire, something we’ve talked about for years… So, there’s certainly storylines that exist in regards to Frodo that could be [interesting], I suppose. But look, if there’s any opportunity to come back and play that character, even for something small, it would be such an honor and a joy to revisit something so special from the past.”

On filming from ages 18-22: “It was a huge period of my life, and a real kind of growing period, where one would typically go to university—a period of time where you’re experiencing your first independence, and you’re really growing as a human being. I think a lot about how that impacted me as a human, how I grew as a person as a result of those experiences.” By the end of filming, Wood was a “changed person.”

“It shaped my life in ways that I think are tangible, and in other ways that are difficult to articulate. It also created opportunities for me that I wouldn’t otherwise have had, had I not been a part of something that was so culturally significant.”

He’s always wanted to do a “creative” Skittles ad: For Wood, who favors the “red Skittle” most of all, the appeal was immediate. “The thing about Skittles is that they always make really creative ads. I find them really funny. I feel like they break the rules. The rules don’t really apply to them. They’re super weird and left of center. I would have done anything to be a part of a Skittles ad anyway. I think that their sense of humor and what they do is really interesting.”

His personal philosophy: “Live without expectation. That’s always really helped me in my life. I feel like it’s not even something I have to choose. It’s just how I perceive the world. I’m always living with enthusiasm, and I’m always sort of surprised by things. If you attach too much expectation to anything, there’s always the chance that it’s not going to live up to what you imagine it to be, or you’re settling, and you could set yourself up for disappointment.” With that kind of mindset, he’s “never disappointed.”

He takes nothing for granted: “I’ve had incredible experiences in my life, so I try not to take anything for granted. I try to appreciate everything as it comes.”

[From Parade]

I have always aspired to be like Elijah, someone who lives with enthusiasm and doesn’t attach expectation to anything. It frees you up to recognize and be open to more opportunities when they come without applying any context or baggage. It gets easier to do the older I get, but it still doesn’t always come naturally to me. I’m just a naturally anxious person! Appreciating things as they come has gotten a lot easier with age, though. I think that’s part of accepting that age brings both wisdom and perspective.

With the LOTR stuff, I am torn between always being down to watch new content and always being worried – there’s that ‘expectation’ stuff again – that it/they wouldn’t be good. The Hobbit movies are fine, but there is something so magical about the LOTR. I did my yearly rewatch the week between Christmas and New Years. No matter how many times I watch them, I am always left in awe by just how much Peter Jackson got the casting right for those films.

As for the Super Bowl ad, Skittles held a contest in January to determine who Elijah will deliver the Skittles to. The winner was notified ahead of time, but according to their website, the delivery will be live-streamed during the Super Bowl. It’s a fun idea, and even if we don’t see the full ad because of time constraints, I’m sure it will air in full online after it’s on TV.

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Yamak Perea/EyePix/INSTARimages, Cortes/Wenn/Avalon, Getty Images

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5 Responses to “Elijah Wood: Living without expectation has always helped me in life”

  1. Tuesday says:

    How many years???? Ugh. Imma go sit my old ass down somewhere.

  2. grace says:

    If only we could BMLE (be more like Elijah). What a lovely person with a wonderful life philosophy! ❤️

  3. Pugsley'sMom says:

    I watch all the movies back-to-back every year – an annual weekend marathon. Last year, I watched the extended versions of all six and it was like watching new movies! Highly recommend the extended versions!

  4. Cait says:

    My kids took me to see the director’s cut of Return of the King for my birthday, because they know what a nerd I am for LOTR. It holds up so, so well.

  5. Wednesday Addams says:

    Did anyone see him in I Don’t Feel At Home In the World Anymore? He was so quirky and good!

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