Actor Sean Astin talks about homesteading, importance of family

Sean Astin, who starred in “The Lord of the Rings” movies as Samwise Gamgee and whose work includes movies such as “The Goonies” and “Rudy,” was Homestead Days’ keynote speaker. The son of actors Patty Duke and John Astin talked to a crowd of 800 to 1,000 people at the park’s education center about his family’s homesteading past, his advocacy on mental health issues and the importance of family.

Astin, who has two bachelor’s degrees and is wrapping up his master’s degree in public administration and public policy, said he studied the Homestead Act during his coursework.

“I always think of … the homestead as a settled place, like, that’s your roots,” Astin said before his keynote appearance. “That’s your home, that’s where you want to be. But this idea of like, ‘No, … this is the great American adventure.’ This is, you know, voting with your feet with your family, and you’re gonna go try something.

“I mean, almost everything I’ve done echoes that in some way. ‘Goonies’ is about finding treasure to save your home. … ‘Lord of the Rings’ is all about saving Middle-earth, saving, you know, a place that’s worth living in. … A place worth living in means you’re worth working to protect it. … It’s not just gonna be there. If you want someplace good, you got to make it good.”

In his travels across the country, “Everywhere I go, I feel like I’m at a reunion,” he said. “… This country is so much bigger and smaller than people realize. … There’s a lot more that binds us together than separates us, if we keep trying.”

Speaking to the crowd, Astin talked about the importance of learning family history.

“I couldn’t remember anything before my grandmother, mostly because I was too hyper to sit down and pay attention and listen to anybody,” he said. “… So take advantage of the moments you have and really listen. Ask questions and learn, take it in.”

He also had some advice for his listeners, telling them, “I just encourage you guys all to mind yourself, to take pride in what you do, take pride in what you do and who you are. That’s a message that I can say from my own experience.”

Astin talked about how academics is important in his family, listing the academic achievements of his three daughters.

Ranger Amber Kirkendall pointed out the importance of academics throughout the Astins’ ancestry.

“With Sean’s family, we see a real value of education within that Astin family,” Kirkendall said. Astin’s grandfather’s father was a teacher and the son of Joseph, who homesteaded in Kansas. She then produced copies of Joseph Astin’s homesteading testimony. Astin noted that Joseph Astin had the same handwriting as his dad.

“My mind is agog,” Astin said as he read the details in the documents Kirkendall had for him.

Astin also talked about his family’s experience with and his advocacy on mental health issues.

“There are a couple of things I can report is that there are amazing resources and developments in science and medicine, technology and therapeutics and what’s available for people,” Astin said. “There’s so much more is available now than when my mom was diagnosed in the mid-’80s.”

He talked about the rise of loneliness as a mental health issue in the United States.

“It just is mind-boggling in this era where there is so much technology and the ability to communicate,” Astin said. “… And somehow it actually in some ways created a distance. … We have to be aware and nurture each other and be kind and be healthy.”

At the end, Astin took a few questions from the audience and offered some words of advice for an aspiring actor.

“The way you can get there is to work really hard,” he said. “Stay focused. Don’t let anybody talk you out of it.”