2020’s memorable virtual cast reunions
With Hollywood shut down, stars got together for virtual reunions throughout the COVID lockdowns. Here are some of our fave reunions, with “The Lord of the Rings” ruling them all.
‘The Lord of the Rings’
One virtual reunion to rule them all! The Fellowship of the Ring got together again to reminisce about shooting the epic trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, the outtakes and friendship.
The entire fellowship was there for the June reunion hosted by Josh Gad—Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Bean, Sir Ian McKellen, Miranda Otto, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, and Peter Jackson.
Our fave moments included McKellen saying that the first time he arrived in New Zealand he went to dinner with Jackson and Christopher Lee (who passed away in 2015).
Imagine that—Gandalf and Saruman eating dinner without trying to kill each other. McKellen quotes Lee saying in his deep, distinct voice, “You know, I always thought I would make a good Gandalf.”
It was also revealed that Sean Bean was scared of helicopters and when they would shoot in the mountains, he would actually just climb rather than ride a chopper.
Elijah Wood said, “This much time has passed and nothing has changed. It’s f*cking amazing.”
The cast recited lines from the movie—and eventually brought out the props they stole from the set, including swords and helmets.
‘High School Musical’
“Guesss who’s back," Vanessa Hudgens wrote. Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Ashley Tisdale and director Kenny Ortega were all in it together during the virtual reunion—except for Zac Efron.
‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’
In September, A-list actors including exes Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston did a table read of the 1982 coming-of-age film. Fast Times was the directorial debut of Amy Heckerling (Clueless) with the script written by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous). They were joined by Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, John Legend, Shia LeBeouf and Sean Penn.
‘Hamilton’
During the pandemic John Krasinski started the YouTube channel Some Good News. He orchestrated the reunion of the original Broadway cast led by Hamilton creator and actor Lin Manuel Miranda for for a nine-year-old super fan. The cast performed her favorite song, Alexander Hamilton, the show’s opening number.
Krasinski was joined by wife Emily Blunt. It wasn’t just that he put the cast together, Krasinski also told the girl that he would send her and her mother to watch the show in New York when the pandemic is over.
‘Parks and Recreation’
The 10th anniversary April reunion featured cast members Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O'Heir, and Retta.
Unfortunately you can’t see the entire reunion on YouTube but there are snippets like this one from the Washington Post channel.
‘Victorious’
Also celebrating their 10th anniversary is this Nickelodeon show. Ariana Grande and Victoria Justice led the cast of the show, which ran from 2010 to 2013, and aired 57 episodes.
‘The Office’
The American version of the original Brit show celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. John Krasinski and Steve Carell got together for a chat on Krasinski's YouTube show Some Good News.
Krasinski said that he was 23 when he got the job and was working as a waiter. “After the pilot, I went back to waiting tables because I was sure nothing was going to happen with it. We all kind of came into it with that vibe. I remember none of us had done anything huge.”
Carel replied, “It’s such a happy surprise that after all these years people are still tuning in and finding it today, it’s pretty cool.”