In the realm of fantasy, theLord of the Rings trilogy reigns supreme as possibly the greatest cinematic achievement the genre has ever seen. Based on the seminal, pioneering novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the trilogy follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) on a quest to destroy the One Ring, a powerful item capable of subduing all the free people of Middle-earth. The movies broke new ground, dominating the box office and earning a whopping 17 Oscar wins out of 30 nominations. In short, they revolutionized fantasy and marked a distinct before and after, influencing every genre movie released since.

It’s time to break the illusion: actors are not actually the characters they play. And yes, that means they might cross multiple major franchises. In the world of major pop culture movie franchises, there are very few that are bigger and more beloved than Star Wars and Harry Potter. Though one is a science fiction space opera and the other is a magical fantasy epic, there is a crossover in themes, thus drawing in a familiar demographic.