This groundbreaking trilogy transformed the fantasy film genre, overcoming a multitude of obstacles during its journey. In honor of J.R.R. Tolkien's upcoming birthday, here are 20 intriguing facts about the Oscar-winning trilogy.
1. THE SCRIPT UNDERWENT NUMEROUS REVISIONS.
Initially, The Lord of the Rings was intended to be a two-part film. However, as concerns grew over the rising budget, producers attempted to convince Jackson to condense the story into a single film. Throughout the scripting stages, there were various iterations where Arwen, rather than Éowyn, was envisioned to disguise herself as a man, ride into the Battle of Pelennor Fields, and defeat the Witch-king. Additionally, the kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor were originally combined into one. At one point, Miramax even suggested that the standalone movie be framed as a flashback, featuring an older Frodo saying something like, ‘So then we went on a dangerous journey through the Mines of Moria and lost Gandalf!’” Jackson recalled.
2. SEAN CONNERY STRUGGLED TO GRASP THE SCRIPT.
Sean Connery auditioned for the role of Gandalf but admitted, “I never understood it. I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it … I would be interested in doing something that I didn’t fully understand, but not for 18 months.” Had he accepted the role, Connery's agreement would have included a modest salary along with 15 percent of the films' earnings. As it turned out, the entire trilogy went on to rake in nearly $3 billion worldwide.
3.CASTING ARAGORN PROVED TO BE A CHALLENGING TASK.
Nicolas Cage was initially offered the role of Aragorn but declined due to "family obligations." The part then went to rising Irish actor Stuart Townsend, who might not be familiar to you as he didn't appear in the final trilogy. "I was rehearsing and training for two months, then was let go the day before filming started," Townsend recounted. In search of an older actor, Jackson turned to Viggo Mortensen, who accepted the role at the suggestion of his son Henry, a fan of the books.
4.RUSSELL CROWE WAS CONSIDERED AS A BACKUP FOR ARAGORN.
If Mortensen had declined the role of Aragorn, Jackson had two other actors in mind: Jason Patric and Russell Crowe. “We sent a script and he did read it and was fascinated,” said Jackson. “I remember getting the phone call from his agent and being told that he had just finished another film which involved him having to have a sword and armor—Gladiator! Russell was flattered by the approach, but he had other films he was committed to and it obviously wasn’t going to work out.”
5. VIGGO MORTENSEN ENDURED SEVERAL INJURIES.
While the cast faced various injuries throughout production, Mortensen experienced it particularly hard. In The Two Towers, the scream he released after kicking a helmet upon discovering the charred remains of the Orcs who had captured Merry and Pippin was influenced by the fact that he had just broken two toes.“Normally, an actor would yell ‘Ow!’ if they hurt themselves,” noted Jackson. “Viggo turned a broken toe into a performance.” Elijah Wood remembered Mortensen “getting half of his tooth knocked out during a fight sequence, and his insistence on applying superglue to put it back in to keep working.”
6. JAKE GYLLENHAAL AUDITIONED FOR THE ROLE OF FRODO.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s audition for the part of Frodo didn’t go as planned.“I remember auditioning for The Lord of the Rings and going in and not being told that I needed a British accent. I really do remember Peter Jackson saying to me, ‘You know that you have to do this in a British accent?’” Gyllenhaal later recalled. “We heard back it was literally one of the worst auditions.
7. VIN DIESEL, LIAM NEESON, AND UMA THURMAN WERE IN CONTENTION FOR ROLES.
Among other potential casting choices, Vin Diesel auditioned for the role of Aragorn. Jackson described his performance as “very compelling,” but ultimately felt it didn’t capture the essence of Aragorn. Jackson also reached out to Richard O’Brien, known for his role as Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which he also wrote), for the character of Gríma Wormtongue, but O’Brien's agents declined, believing that the films would not succeed. Additionally, Liam Neeson chose to pass on the role of Boromir.Jackson also remembers there were "discussions" about the then-married couple Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman potentially portraying Faramir and Éowyn. “Ethan was a big fan of the books and was eager to take part. Uma, on the other hand, was more uncertain, and understandably so, since we were redefining Éowyn’s character as we progressed with the script. Ultimately, Ethan decided to step back from the role, albeit with some reluctance.”
8. IAN HOLM HAD PREVIOUSLY PORTRAYED FRODO BAGGINS.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy brought Bilbo actor Ian Holm back to the Shire, as he had previously played Frodo in a 1981 radio dramatization of The Lord of the Rings that aired on BBC Radio 4. His performance in that adaptation influenced Jackson’s decision to cast him as Bilbo.
9. CHRISTOPHER LEE HAD ASPIRATIONS TO PLAY GANDALF.
The late Christopher Lee was a dedicated fan of The Lord of the Rings and even had the opportunity to meet J.R.R. Tolkien, sharing, "I was very much in awe of him, as you can imagine," in an interview with Cinefantastique. He expressed a desire to don the robes of Gandalf, a role that ultimately went to Sir Ian McKellen. However, Lee later acknowledged that he felt "too old" for the action-intensive part by the time the films were made. In an effort to prove his capabilities, he portrayed a wizard in the TV series The New Adventures of Robin Hood, stating it was to demonstrate that he could effectively play a wizard and be an ideal choice for The Lord of the Rings. He even sent Jackson a photo of himself in wizard attire, though he noted, “it was more in the nature of a joke, really. It wasn’t me putting myself forward at all, because I think Peter had already made up his mind” to cast him as the wizard Saruman.
10.THE PRODUCER WAS EAGER TO KILL A HOBBIT.
During the early stages of development, before the trilogy found a home at New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings was being produced at Miramax. Peter Jackson later recalled how Bob Weinstein was adamant that one of the four main Hobbits should meet their demise: “Well, we can’t have a story like this without killing a Hobbit! I don’t care which one; you can choose—I’m not going to tell you who it should be: just decide which one you want to kill, but we definitely need to kill one of those Hobbits!” In situations like that, Jackson recalled, you simply nod and smile, saying, “Well, that’s something we can consider.”
