I Love LA’s simple setup—a group of close friends tries to make something of themselves in Los Angeles—is prime for celebrity cameos.
Think of it as a Gen Z Entourage: Aspiring talent manager Maia (Rachel Sennott, who also created the show), influencer Tallulah (Odessa A’zion), stylist Charlie (Jordan Firstman), and uber-rich nepo baby Alani (True Whitaker) mix and mingle with some of Hollywood’s finest on their way to the top. Episode 2 of the series blessed us with a very funny Ayo Edebiri cameo, who played a British pop superstar, and this week’s episode of I Love LA amps things up with an exquisitely bonkers appearance from actor Elijah Wood.
The gang is headed to the party of a major influencer, a massive opportunity for Tallulah (Odessa A’zion) to boost her image after a public feud that went viral. For some reason, the party isn’t at her house—instead, it’s at the home of none other than Elijah Wood.
Yes, that Elijah Wood, beloved hobbit Frodo from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The actor has had an eclectic career in the years post-Frodo. Currently has a recurring role in the series Yellowjackets. He also hasn’t shied away from weirder horror projects, like the blood-soaked The Monkey, deranged The Toxic Avenger, and off-kilter Come To Daddy. But none of his penchant for oddity will prepare you for his turn in I Love LA.
In the episode, Alani is a big fans of Elijah Wood. The moment she hears they’re going to a party at his house, she panics, dropping her glass in disbelief. Alani isn’t just a fan: She’s deeply in love—and very horny—for Mr. Wood. The bad news comes fast, though. Soon after arriving at the house, Alani finds out that Elijah isn’t at the party at all.
As has been the case so far on I Love LA, it is inevitable that these gals are going to make bad decisions. Alani, keen for more intel on Elijah, wants to go upstairs, despite being warned not to. Maia expresses concern that Elijah could have security cameras and might j--- off to footage of them lurking around his house. “That sounds awesome,” Alani responds, and Maia relents, agreeing. Once upstairs, they hit jackpot: Elijah Wood is home, and he’s hanging out in his bedroom.
It’s about to get weird.
Elijah sits at the edge of his perfectly made bed, wearing green pajamas, blue slippers, and white socks, watching The Simpsons (specifically Season 6’s “Bart of Darkness”). He silently turns to look at Alani and Maia, who, shocked to see Elijah just sitting there, leave the room. Maia convinces Alani that they should go back, as this is Alani’s best opportunity to sleep with the man she’s always adored. “Let’s get that wood,” Maia convinces her.
While the real Elijah is in a committed relationship, the Elijah Wood in I Love LA appears to be very single indeed. But instead of attempting to display sexual charisma, there’s only one thing Elijah wants to know: “Have you guys ever seen The Simpsons?”
Now for some people, this may be one of the sexier questions a person could ask. But Elijah doesn’t seem to have any romantic intent. He just wants to show Maia and Alani one of his favorite shows.
Moments later, Alani and Maia find themselves at the foot of the bed, eagerly looking up at Elijah, who is blissfully unaware of their lust, instead sitting cross-legged and queuing up one of his fave clips from Superbad to show them. “I love clips,” he tells them excitedly.
Elijah soon realizes that they’ve been hanging out for hours, yet Maia and Alani are still on the ground. Horrified at his lack of manners, he tells them to get on the bed—but first, they have to put on robes. “No street clothes on the bed,” he demands with a surprising strictness.
In the bathroom, they’re both convinced that it’s finally time: They’re going to have a threesome with Elijah Wood. But when they return, nothing’s changed, and Elijah still wants to show them clips of movie moments he loves.
It turns out that Elijah resents his attractiveness. When it becomes abundantly (and I do mean abundantly) clear that Maia and Alani want to have sex with Elijah, he’s furious. “Every girl wants to f--- sweet Elijah, but nobody wants to be friends with sweet Elijah,” he shouts in full meltdown mode. Elijah plays this beautifully, referring to himself in the third person as he’s in genuine anguish. It’s absurd, it’s ridiculous, and it’s very, very funny.
And yet, it gets even weirder. As the ladies sit freaked out on the bed, Elijah stands uncomfortably close to the TV, singing Smash Mouth’s “All Star” while watching the Shrek music video. Well, not so much singing as screaming it.
It works because of Elijah Wood’s tremendous commitment. The details are so precise, like the fact that Elijah pauses the show the second they walk in, so he doesn’t miss a second of the episode. And when screaming “All Star,” he puts the shape of an L on his forehead, like the lyrics demand. It’s possibly the most outrageous cameo of the year that’ll have you thinking: Won’t somebody want to be friends with sweet Elijah?
