BEATRICE - His success as an actor has been notable….from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, to the films Rudy, Stranger Things, The Goonies and Toy Soldiers.
And Nebraskans got to meet him Saturday, at the Homestead National historical park.


Actor Sean Astin counts as important….a good education, advocating for those fighting mental illness….and just being kind.


The UCLA graduate and soon to be the holder of a master’s degree…spoke to one of the largest audiences ever on Saturday, outside the Homestead's Education Center.  "History and American Literature and Culture....and then I'm just finishing my Master's....just finishing all my coursework and we have just one more big report we have to do....public administration and public policy. The Homestead Act would have been something we studied in our administrative law review."


Astin, the son of the late actress Patty Duke and actor John Astin…was presented with a bit of homesteading history on his father’s side of the family...near Larned, Kansas.  Astin said homesteading is the great American adventure…which he sees in acting.


"Voting with your feet, with your family....you're going to go try something. Almost everything I've done echoes that, in some way. Lord of the Rings is all about saving middle earth...saving a place that's worth living in. One of the cool things about Lord of the Rings is.....a place worth living in, is worth working to protect it. It's not just gonna be there. You want someplace good, you gotta make it good."


In the movie Rudy, Astin played a football player based on a real-life story of dreams to play for Notre Dame. Astin said Rudy Ruettiger was risking reputation….but not necessarily losing everything.  "What he was risking was the embarrassment of trying and failing at something people said he couldn't do." Astin said homesteaders were risking everything.


Last year, Astin was involved in trying to settle an actor’s union strike while working on his masters…all the while continuing with his acting career and other interests.


"When you're a performer, I don't think you ever retire. But, I also feel like part of my longevity in the industry is that I'm always interested in other things, too. I was interested in marathons and triathlons, I was interested in education always...I was interested in a radio show...and a non-profit."


The 53-year-old said as he travels the U.S, people pick their moments to be polarized, but he said there’s a lot more that binds us together than separates us…if we keep trying.