Elijah Wood is best known as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings films and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, however, the role of a hobbit of the Shire who should destroy One Ring, is not the only remarkable role in Wood’s more than 30 year on-screen career. He made his film debut at the age of 8 in Back to the Future Part II, a small part in successful science fiction film. After that, Wood starred in drama movies, comedies, adventure films, psychological thriller, neo-noir crime pictures, slashers, black comedy horrors and every genre in between

Elijah Wood opened up to The Guardian about his career, saying, “When I reflect on my career, I can recognize a pattern, but I don’t strategize. I just follow my heart and that leads me to interesting and sometimes unexpected places.” Here’s a list of Elijah Wood’s best performances outside of the Tolkien films; there are indeed unexpected roles among them, and a very interesting career.

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7 The Good Son

     20th Century Studios

The Good Son was written by Ian McEwan, one of the greatest British writers of our time. The 1993 psychological thriller stars Macauley Culkin and Elijah Wood in great, young performances as cousins who was reintroduced to each other after 10 years. The film centers on 12-year-old Mark Evans (Wood), who after the death of his mother was sent to his aunt and uncle. There, Mark begins to spend a lot of time with his cousin Henry (Culkin). Henry shows psychopathic behavior and fascination with violence, and Mark develops an anxious relationship with him. For his role, Wood won the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. Unlike many child actors, Wood was able to pursue his talented career in adulthood.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 Green Street Hooligans

     MWM Studios

The 2005 British-American crime drama Green Street Hooligans follows 20-year-old everyman Matt Buckner, expelled from Harvard University, who moved to London and met football hooligans. Gradually, a quiet guy becomes one of them. Critic Roger Ebert applauded Wood’s role, noting, “Elijah Wood seems so very unlikely as a street fighter that I began a list of more plausible actors for the role. Then I realized the movie’s point is that someone like this nerdy Harvard boy might be transformed in a fairly short time into a bloodthirsty gang fighter.” Despite negative to mixed reviews on film, this dramatic actor transformation makes Wood’s role in Green Street Hooligans notable and noteworthy.

5 No Man of God

     XYZ Films

No Man of God is based on real-life transcripts from conversations between F.B.I. profiler Bill Hagmaier and serial killer Ted Bundy. Elijah Wood as Hagmaier and Luke Kirby as Bundy are persuasive and close to the real characters. To play F.B.I. profiler, Wood listened to a lot of audio interviews with serial killers and asked Bill Hagmaier his questions about role.

Wood even told The Hollywood Reporter that Hagmaier seen the film and really likes it. Fans of serial killer movies based on true stories, and the series Mindhunter in particular, will definitely like this movie too, because No Man of God focuses on interrogating and picking a killer’s brain.

4 I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

     Film Science

Sundance Film Festival-winning indie comedy I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore centers on a depressed nursing assistant (played by Melanie Lynskey), who was burgled. She wants to find the perpetrators who broke into her house and enlists in this mission her weirdo neighbor (played by Elijah Wood). Their adventure ranges from unusual and funny to cruel. As Rolling Stone, director of the film Macon Blair knew that Wood “would make a good Tony, despite the fact that, on the page, the socially awkward stoner character seemed a 180-degree switch from the Lord of the Rings actor.” Elijah was truly convincing in his humorous, insecure performance, adding both to the film’s eccentricity and humanity.

3 Everything Is Illuminated

     Warner Independent Pictures

Based on the Jonathan Safran Foer novel of the same name, the 2005 comedy-drama Everything Is Illuminated stars Elijah Wood as a Jewish-American man collecting memories and artifacts from his family’s history. He decides to travel to Ukraine to learn more about his grandfather’s life there during World War II, and to better understand his family history and himself.

Sometimes the film has strong Wes Anderson vibes making it highly enjoyable for those who love the director’s style, combining bright locations, original characters, and an important topic. Wood is perfect as Jonathan, and the actor proved that he could easily be both funny and sensitive at the same time.

2 Wilfred

     FX Productions

In this original FX TV show, philosophical and absurdist situations play out in equal measure. Elijah Wood appears in Wilfred as depressed ex-lawyer Ryan, who is the only one who can see his neighbor’s dog Wilfred (played by Jason Gann) as a man in a cheap dog suit. Part life coach, part devious and vulgar dog (in more ways than one), Wilfred helps Ryan to get rid of dark thoughts, and find the joy in life again. Wood and Gann are superb in this TV Series, helping Wilfred to work on many levels, combining brilliant humor and existential moments.

1 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

     Focus Features

Directed by Michel Gondry, written by Charlie Kaufman, and featuring an impressive A-list cast including Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, and one of the best Jim Carrey movie performances, 2004 drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tells the touching story about Joel and Clementine, a couple who decides to undergo a medical procedure to erase their memories of each other. Elijah Wood is outstanding as Patrick, a creepy technician who during this procedure wants to substitute himself in place of Joel in Clementine’s brain - but she feels that something is wrong with these new memories. Thanks to Elijah’s performance, we understand that true love cannot be fake.