NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Oscars just another day for Mrs Gamgee

1 Mar, 2004 12:46 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

By SARAH CATHERALL

Just like in the movies, it all ended last night at home.

The Auckland mother, who evinces domestic bliss in the last scene in the epic Lord of the Rings was last night at home, looking after the children, while the movie cleaned up at the Oscars.

Sarah McLeod, who plays Rosie Cotton, the love interest of the hobbit Sam Gamgee, couldn't contain her excitement.

"It's unbelievable. I hoped the film would get a few, but to get all of them is fantastic. I feel so proud to have been part of the film and also to be a New Zealand actress right now."

Ms McLeod is notable for having the most significant role of the few New Zealand actresses in the trilogy.

She had a small, but pivotal, role in the Return of the Kings movie. As the film ends, Sam (played by Sean Astin) comes home to her and their two on-screen children, saying that famous line, "Well, I'm back".

Her daughter, Maisy, now four, is the hobbit couple's baby son.

McLeod would have enjoyed attending the Oscars and was invited to the One Ring Net party.

But yesterday the busy mother was taking her daughters to preschool and cooking dinner.

"This brings home the difference between what my life can be like when I'm filming and what my life is like ... The beauty of being cast in Lord of the Rings is that it's a film that has huge global exposure which you don't necessarily get as a New Zealand actress."

She was particularly excited that Peter Jackson won the best director award. She first worked with him on Forgotten Silver, in 1995, playing May Belle.

"It cements his career as an international film-maker. Everyone involved in the movie will say that Peter absolutely deserves it. Peter is a man with incredible vision and focus and despite the enormity of it all, he was so calm and collected throughout the filming," she said.

While tackling chores last night, Ms McLeod was looking forward to a Lord of the Rings convention in Canberra in a fortnight, being paid a performance fee simply for signing autographs and answering questions from fans.

"I went to a convention in Germany in 2002, and I had to stand up on the stage and talk to fans for an hour. I do a bit of a hobbit dance or something. You're there to keep them entertained. You get an amazing mix of people. You get the Lord of the Rings hardcore fans who can range from 16-year-old girls through to 50-year-old lecturers on Tolkien's books."

To her fans, she is a sort of an enigma, as she describes herself on an unofficial website and has not courted publicity.

She receives fanmail at least once a week, from people such as soldiers and Lord of the Rings memorabilia collectors.

"I've had letters from people in Slovakia, and Germany. I'm not getting caught up in the publicity hype of the Lord of the Rings though.

"I carry on with the everyday routines of looking after my kids and doing acting when I can. My life has changed in some ways, but I'm pretty low-key about it."

As Rosie, Ms McLeod says just a few lines in the movie and her role doesn't seem huge.

But ardent fans have latched on to the barmaid with hobbit feet, possibly because there are few female characters in the trilogy, noted for its battle scenes and special effects.

"The appeal of Rosie is that because she's Sam's girl, people get caught up in all that.

"At the world premiere, I was standing next to Liv Tyler, and she gave me a look and a smile, and said, 'At least we both get our men'."

Herald Feature: Lord of the Rings

Related information and links

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Couple set to lose $1.7m in property following commercial-scale cannabis bust

New Zealand
|Updated

'You were everything': Man who died from critical injuries in Rotorua remembered

New Zealand

Woman adopts ex-partner’s baby to save her from meth exposure, non-accidental injury


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

'Defining moment': UN challenges Australia on climate ambitions
World

'Defining moment': UN challenges Australia on climate ambitions

'Long may it continue': NZ events industry sees promising revival
Entertainment

'Long may it continue': NZ events industry sees promising revival

'You were everything': Man who died from critical injuries in Rotorua remembered
Rotorua Daily Post

'You were everything': Man who died from critical injuries in Rotorua remembered

Woman adopts ex-partner’s baby to save her from meth exposure, non-accidental injury
New Zealand

Woman adopts ex-partner’s baby to save her from meth exposure, non-accidental injury

'Violent shaking': Helicopter crash under investigation
Bay of Plenty Times

'Violent shaking': Helicopter crash under investigation

'More spin than a front load washing machine': Hipkins blasts Willis for 10-minute cost of living 'sermon'
Politics

'More spin than a front load washing machine': Hipkins blasts Willis for 10-minute cost of living 'sermon'



Latest from New Zealand

Couple set to lose $1.7m in property following commercial-scale cannabis bust
New Zealand

Couple set to lose $1.7m in property following commercial-scale cannabis bust

Police found 331 cannabis plants in four different stages of cultivation and $153,00 cash.

28 Jul 08:00 AM
'You were everything': Man who died from critical injuries in Rotorua remembered
New Zealand
|Updated

'You were everything': Man who died from critical injuries in Rotorua remembered

28 Jul 07:38 AM
Woman adopts ex-partner’s baby to save her from meth exposure, non-accidental injury
New Zealand

Woman adopts ex-partner’s baby to save her from meth exposure, non-accidental injury

28 Jul 07:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search