Academy Award-nominated actor Sean Astin spoke to a full auditorium at UW-Eau Claire on Tuesday, March 4, as part of the 82nd season of The Forum.  Astin is a cross-generational actor, best known as Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, and Bob Newby in Stranger Things. He's also a director, producer, voice artist, and New York Times best-selling author.

As a vocal advocate for literacy and mental health awareness, Astin spoke to a full auditorium on campus in Eau Claire – and noted Wisconsin is one of his favorite places to film.