Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy has a multitude of characters, but most of them don't appear in it for very long. Those most instrumental to the plot, like Frodo and Gandalf, have over an hour of screentime, but important side players are lucky to get 10 minutes.
Some of the series' best characters had way less time than others to prove themselves to fans, yet still came through in the end. Thanks to data from Matthew Stewart of Screen Time Central, it's easy to identify which of these characters stand out.
Grima Wormtongue
Played by Brad Dourif, Grima Wormtongue is the fiendish and cunning advisor to King Theoden, hired by Saruman to control Rohan from the inside. His reign of terror is put a stop to when Gandalf frees Theoden from Saruman's spell and Wormtongue is banished.
Wormtongue only appears for seven minutes of The Two Towers, but it would have been great to see more of Saruman's slimy, devious lickspittle in the theatrical trilogy. His appearance in the infamous Lord of the Rings chapter, "The Scouring of the Shire," would certainly have been interesting to see in live-action.
Éomer
Éomer is the leader of the Riders of Rohan and encounters the Fellowship multiple times throughout their journey. Portrayed by Karl Urban of Amazon's The Boys, he has all the energy and wit of a lead player.
But Éomer gets a mere 13 minutes of screentime in the series, with his role in the events of The Return of the King having been cut down significantly. Still, even though he doesn't show up as much as many fans would like, Urban's performance makes Éomer an unforgettable character.
Celeborn
Celeborn's life is expanded on in works such as The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. As a movie character, however, he's mainly known for delivering the iconic line, "Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him."
Delving into the adventures of Galadriel's husband would ittedly be a weird diversion for Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring to take, but Celeborn could have at least played a bigger part in the events at Lothlórien. As it stands, actor Martin Csokas only received about a minute and a half of screentime.
Haldir
Haldir is an Elf of Lothlórien who appears in the first two Lord of the Rings movies, but only gets about three minutes of screentime between them. He's there to greet the fellowship when they arrive at Galadriel's doorstep, and he later brings an army to help defend Helm's Deep.
Haldir is a stoic but courageous character, and his death in Aragorn's arms is a surprisingly emotional moment. His actor, Craig Parker, also had a cameo in The Return of the King as the voice of Orcs Gothmog and Guritz.
Denethor
Denethor, played by John Noble, is the Steward of Gondor when Pippin and Gandalf arrive, and he does not take kindly to their news of a coming attack on Minas Tirith. Pippin, out of guilt over the heartbreaking death of Denethor's son Boromir, swears loyalty to Denethor, and witnesses firsthand the ruler's coldness and pessimism.
Denethor is one of The Lord of the Rings' most compelling characters, though his particular way of eating cherry tomatoes made him unpopular with fans. Giving the character more than eight minutes of screentime might have offered a clearer look at his motivations, which are expanded on in Tolkien's book.
The King Of The Dead
The King of the Dead is one of the more interesting characters in the Lord of the Rings series, but his backstory is only briefly mentioned in the movies. Despite his army being the main force behind the heroes winning the Battle of Minas Tirith, he only gets about two minutes of screentime.
His sudden appearance in the story and even more anticlimatic departure are disappointing. Still, his character arc is neatly fulfilled by the end, and actor Paul Norell makes the most of his short appearance with a chillingly great performance.
Saruman
For being such a major figure in the war between good and evil, Saruman gets surprisingly little screentime in the Lord of the Rings series. Veteran horror actor and Dracula star Christopher Lee brought to life the malevolent wizard, whose relationship with Gandalf is one of the series' most layered and complex.
Saruman only receives about 11 minutes of screentime over the course of the trilogy. Fans argue the deliciously evil character deserved better than having his final scene crammed into the extended edition of The Return of the King.
Galadriel
The Lady Galadriel appears less in the Lord of the Rings series than many fans would have expected, at least based on how recognizable and memorable she is. That's because actor Cate Blanchett makes the most of her time onscreen, giving the charitable but powerful Elf a distinctive personality.
Despite having just over 11 minutes of screentime, Galadriel is an easy candidate for the trilogy's best character. She imbues the movies with the magic and beauty that makes Tolkien's world so special and unique.
Bilbo
Appearances by Ian Holm's Bilbo bookend the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The first movie begins with him departing the Shire for Rivendell, and the last movie ends with him departing Rivendell for the Grey Havens.
Though The Hobbit, it would have been nice to see more moments between Frodo and him. But he's still just as riveting and easy to root for, even with just 14 minutes of screentime.
Faramir
Over the course of the Lord of the Rings series, Faramir turns from a morally conflicted antihero to one of its strongest forces of good. The character most explicitly modeled after Tolkien himself is done justice by David Wenham's incredible performance.
Though he appears onscreen for less than 15 minutes, Faramir has become a fan-favorite character for his courage and willingness to do the right thing. Unfortunately, his relationship with Éowyn becomes something of an afterthought in The Return of the King, but even without that extra material, he's a fantastic character.
