10 Big Hollywood Stars Who Were Almost Cast in the Lord of the Rings Films

The Lord of the Rings films were released from 2001 to 2003 and saw Tolkien’s epic trilogy realised on the big screen. The films were hugely successful with both Tolkien fans and movie buffs alike and the final instalment, The Return of the King, is tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most number of Oscars won by a film. It was nominated for 17 and won 11.

The characters of Middle-Earth were brilliantly brought to life by their actors and it seems the film was perfectly cast. However, in the late 90’s, as plans were being drawn up for the epic series, a lot of names were suggested when deciding who should star in the films, and many of the actors who were eventually cast were far from the first choice. In the years since the films release, a number of actors have been revealed to have been either considered for, or directly offered roles, and it’s interesting to imagine how different these films might have been had these stars been cast.

Stuart Townsend – Aragorn

The character of Aragorn is a deeply important one to the story of The Lord of the Rings and getting his casting right was obviously essential. A lot of big actors were considered for the role but Stuart Townsend’s case is particularly interesting because he was actually given the job before being recast by Viggo Mortensen at the last minute. Townsend was given the role and spent two months rehearsing and training before director Peter Jackson came to the conclusion that he wasn’t right for the role. Jackson has since said that he felt Townsend was too young for the role, though he praised him as a great actor.

When asked about the role in an interview, Townsend said: “I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that I was told they wouldn’t pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn’t be paid. I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don’t. The director wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different.”

David Bowie – Elrond

David Bowie may be best known for his music career, but he has also done his fair share of acting in a number of film and television roles. He starred as himself in the likes of Extras and Zoolander and played the scientist Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige and The Goblin King in Labyrinth. It seems the famed musician was also interested in playing the elf lord Elrond in The Lord of the Rings.

It was later revealed by Dominic Monaghan, who played the Hobbit Merry, that he saw Bowie auditioning for the films whilst he himself was auditioning. Monaghan said: I was reading a magazine waiting, David Bowie came in and signed his little list and went in. I’m assuming he read for Gandalf. I can’t think of anything else he would’ve read for. He may have read for something else, but I’m a huge David Bowie fan, and I’m lucky enough to know his son. Just seeing him in person was pretty special to me.” Peter Jackson later went on to reveal that Bowie was up for the role of Elrond. It seems that Bowie was considered to be just too famous to play such a beloved character as Jackson said: “These are famous, famous characters, loved for nearly 50 years. To have a famous, beloved character and a famous star colliding is slightly uncomfortable.”

Sean Connery – Gandalf

Sir Ian McKellen is so well known for playing Gandalf (and doing such a great job) that it’s hard to imagine anyone else even being considered for the role, but the fact is that several other actors were considered before he got the part. Famed James Bond actor Sean Connery was originally offered the role of Gandalf and was offered a whopping $6 million per film along with a 15% stake in film franchise’s box office profits, meaning Connery could’ve made over $450 million dollars.

Connery turned down the role as he later revealed he didn’t understand the part, but went on to praise Mckellen. “I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it. Ian McKellen, I believe, is marvellous in it.” The role of Gandalf was reportedly also offered to Sir Patrick Stewart, but ultimately it went to Sir Ian McKellen, and we think he did a perfect job.

Nicolas Cage – Aragorn

Nicolas Cage might be one of the most polarizing actors in Hollywood and it’s not hard to see why. Cage has been known for turning out some seriously laughable performances, but he has also turned out some brilliant ones. It’s gotten to a point where he’s considered to be both a great and terrible actor depending on what you’re watching him in. It’s an issue we like to call ‘Schrödinger’s Cage’.

Cage was offered the role of Aragorn early in the film’s planning but the famed Hollywood actor was forced to turn down the role as accepting the part would’ve meant he’d have been forced to move to New Zealand for three years. Cage has since stated that he’d have liked to have been in the films had circumstances allowed, but that he is also somewhat glad he isn’t in them because it means he can enjoy them as part of the audience. “I can enjoy them as an audience member. I don’t really watch my own movies. And so I genuinely do have the joy of watching these—especially with Lord of the Rings,” he said.

Jake Gyllenhaal – Frodo

Jake Gyllenhaal is considered to be one of the finest actors working in Hollywood today, but even he has his fair share of terrible auditions, including the time he auditioned for the role of Frodo. It seems that Gyllenhaal’s agent had forgotten to tell the young actor that he needed to do a British accent for the role, and thus his audition was immediately off to a bad starts.

Gyllenhaal later revealed that Peter Jackson was less than impressed with his audition, saying: “He literally turned to me and said, ‘You are the worst actor that I have ever seen.’ He said, ‘Did anyone tell you you were supposed to have an accent?’ I was like, ‘No!’ And he said, ‘Well, fire your agents.” He may not have done so well when it comes to his Lord of the Rings audition, but with films like Donnie Darko, Prisoners, and Nightcrawler under his belt, we can’t imagine it bothers him too much.

Liam Neeson – Boromir

Sean Bean did a fantastic job at playing the role of Boromir, but he wasn’t Peter Jackson’s first choice. The role was originally offered to Liam Neeson, who in the late 90’s was well known for his role in Schindler’s List and his performance in the new Star Wars film The Phantom Menace. It’s not hard to see why he was the first name that sprung to Jackson’s mind when it came to casting the fallen hero Boromir.

Neeson was given the script but ultimately decided to pass on the role for reasons not clearly specified, but did go on to star in similarly big films such as Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Kingdom of Heaven, and Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Fittingly, he did voice the great lion Aslan in the film adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Kate Winslet – Eowyn

You may not know that Peter Jackson gave Kate Winslet her first big-screen role in his 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. By the late 90’s, the actress had shot to fame following the release of the epic film Titanic and Jackson was eager to work once more with the actress on Lord of the Rings.

Winslet was offered the role of Eowyn, the shield-maiden of Rohan. Winslet decided to pass on the role as she felt the three-movie contract was too much of a commitment. The actress also seems to have shied away from big blockbuster films since starring in the cultural phenomenon that was Titanic. The role of Eowyn was also offered to a numbe rof other actresses, including Uma Thurman, but Jackson eventual went on to cast Miranda Otto.

Daniel Day-Lewis – Aragorn

Yet another big name approached to play the important part of the rightful King of Gondor. Daniel Day-Lewis is considered by many to be arguable one of the greatest actors of his generation and he’s known for being incredibly picky as to what films he signs on for and, when he does, he totally immerses himself in the role. Lewis was Peter Jackson’s first choice for the role of Aragorn and several times he was offered the role, apparently with a large financial incentive, but eventually Jackson and his crew had to admit defeat.

Given how selective Lewis is with his roles, it’s not surprising that he declined to sign up for a three film fantasy blockbuster but, as much as we love Viggo as Aragorn, we can’t help but imagine how Lewis would have approached the role. It seems that no amount of money or offers can dissuade Daniel Day-Lewis.

Warwick Davis – Gimli

It seems obvious that the dwarf Gimli ought to be played a dwarf actor, and veteran actor Warwick Davis certainly thought so. When he auditioned for the role back in 1999, Jackson explained that he intended to use camera trickery to make different characters appear smaller or larger than others. Jackson was also concerned there might not be enough short actors to fill the roles should they not use camera tricks, to which Davis jokingly responded “I joked with him about being lynched by a lot of little people.”

Ultimately the role of Gimli went to John Rhys-Davies (who stands at 6ft 1) but Warwick went on to play a number of roles in the Harry Potter films, including Professor Flitwick, and also returned to the Star Wars universe in The Phantom Menace. It’s interesting to think that, had he got the role of Gimli, Davis would’ve starred in three of the biggest film franchises of all time, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.

Christopher Lee – Gandalf

Christopher Lee may have played the role of the evil wizard Saruman in the films, but he was originally very eager to play the role of Gandalf. Lee is known for his portrayal of villains in film, but he wasn’t interested in playing the villain in Lord of the Rings, until Peter Jackson eventually managed to change his mind. The veteran actor was a huge fan of the books and is actually the only member of the movie team to have actually met J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien gave his consent for Lee to portray Gandalf should a film of his books ever be made.

Jackson explained to a somewhat annoyed Lee that the role of Gandalf was already being considered for McKellen but Lee insisted on auditioning for the part anyway. Lee was aware that he had a reputation for playing villains and seems to have been eager to play a good guy for once. Jackson felt he’d be great as Saruman and Lee eventually accepted the role, but did so with an aim of ensuring that Saruman was represented on screen as he was in the books, a once good man corrupted by Sauron. No doubt Lee was pleased when he was able to play Sauron before he turned evil in The Hobbit films.