34 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About "The Lord Of The Rings" Trilogy

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[Perdogg]

1. Nicolas Cage passed up the role of Aragorn because of “family obligations.”

2. Daniel Day-Lewis also turned down the role multiple times.

3. The same fight choreographer and fencer who worked on Lord of the Rings also worked on The Parent Trap and Star Wars.

4. And he said that Viggo Mortensen was “the best swordsman [he] ever trained.”

[Tax-chick]

Nicolas Cage passed up the role of Aragorn because of “family obligations.”

Tolkien's heavenly intercession, perhaps.

Daniel Day-Lewis might have been okay.

[Perdogg]

ping

[LS]

Hard to imagine anyone other than Mortenson. He's generally a "mumbler," but I think he was perfectly cast.

BTW, watched a special feature on Samuel Bronstein, who produced "King of Kings," "El Cid," "Fall of the Roman Empire," and the special effects/costume people ALWAYS used real iron swords because Bronstein wanted a realistic effect.

[cloudmountain]

The same fight choreographer and fencer who worked on Lord of the Rings also worked on The Parent Trap and Star Wars.

Must be the NEW "Parent Trap." The original one was in 1961. :o)

[Perdogg]

Agree.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Would have been so easy to quickly end the story. Just give Sauron of Mordor a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. He’ll then shoot his eye out.

[Tax-chick]

Hard to imagine anyone other than Mortenson.

Now it is, but before he was cast, it was more up in the air. Daniel Day-Lewis has the jaw for it.

I think Sean Bean would have been a fine Aragon.

Interesting about the sword-fighting in the old costume dramas. Bob Anderson, the sword trainer and choreographer, did absolutely everything from Captain Blood to Star Wars. He was practically the one-and-only in that business.

[Flag_This]

"6. Sean Connery was originally offered the role of Gandalf, but had never read the books and “didn’t understand the script.”

But he was fine with "Highlander"?

[Tax-chick]

His first work was in 1952 on The Master of Ballentrae, a swashbuckling adventure movie starring Erroll Flynn.

[SueRae]

Viggo Mortenson is also an excellent horseman. He actually kept the animal he rode and trained in the movie and gave away the White horse (Florian) to the gal that trained him and did the stunt riding as Arwen, facing down the Nazgul, etc. What an extraordinary gesture on his part.

Reading the article, I am so relieved that JRR Tolkien shot down the Beatles request to make the film. Kubrick would have been a disaster on this project.

[DJ MacWoW]

Actually Bob Anderson was a Hollywood legend in regards to fencing. He started choreographing in the 40’s.

[going hot]

27. The Nazgul’s screeches were made by sound technicians scraping Target plastic cups together.

And here I thought it was recordings of PIAPS played at 78

[fwdude]

Nicholas Cage would have been horrible! Can’t act, looks like a metrosexual, the thin, whiny voice. Why was he even in contention?

Agreed. Day-Lewis would have worked.

[DJ MacWoW]

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[Caipirabob]

Nicolas Cage passed up the role of Aragorn because of “family obligations.

MORDOR?!?

*Whew*....lol!

[Mamzelle]

I thought he was the poorest casting choice. I wanted Hugh Jackson.

[IronJack]

I have to disagree with the Mortensen pick. This was the latest in a Iong line of kings, but there was nothing regal about Mortensen’s Aragorn. He could have greased a chariot’s wheels with the oil in his hair. He spoke with no real authority or presence. And the continual whining about Arwen was more the behavior of a love-lorn schoolboy than an heir to Isildur.

Badly miscast, in my opinion.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Just read these out loud to my husband...great info!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

“El Cid,”

My favorite movie!

If you watch the joust scene where they end up using Claymore swords you can tell those are real swords.

EL CID ON dvd is available at Walmart.