Sean Astin to Bring Star Power, Mental Health Message to SCSU Speaker Series

(KNSI) – The actor who’s played a loyal hobbit, a walk-on legend and a Goonie who never says die, is bringing his talents to St. Cloud State University as the inaugural speaker in the new Bennett D. Melin Family University Speaker Series.

Sean Astin will kick off the series made possible by SCSU alumnus Bennett Melin, a member of the class of 1963. The event is designed to bring publicly recognizable thought leaders from the arts, humanities, sciences, business, religion, politics, health and human services, education and other fields to campus for thoughtful conversation with students, faculty, staff and the wider SCSU community.

Astin’s résumé reads like a highlight reel of the last four decades of film and television. He made his feature film debut as Mikey in the 1985 classic “The Goonies,” played the title role in the underdog sports drama “Rudy,” and spent three films carrying the ring-bearer’s pack, and often the ring-bearer himself, as Samwise “Sam” Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. More recently, he introduced a new generation of fans to his work as Bob Newby in the second season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”

For his SCSU appearance, though, Astin won’t be fighting orcs or chasing treasure maps. He’ll be picking up where his late mother, performer and mental health advocate Patty Duke, left off, centering his talk on mental health.

The event is scheduled for September 24th, 2026, at St. Cloud State. It’s free to attend, but registration will be required and is expected to open later this summer.

Anyone hoping to snag a seat should keep an eye on scsu.mn/events and the university’s social media pages, where registration details and additional information will be posted as they become available.

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