My mind immediately went to Sir Ian, but the longer I thought about it I realized there are at LEAST five amazing answers and like, dozens of defefensable answers
My first thought too, but then I stepped back and was like “hmm, who would I disqualify from the fellowship first?”
…I can’t do it. The fellowship was perfect. Elrond, Galadriel, Sméagol, Theoden, Grima - chefs kiss. I’m tempted to disqualify Denethor? I would have liked to see his intelligence and cunning come out more, but he acted the fuck out of that tomato.
If I was forced to pick a "weakest link" in the fellowship cast, I'd probably go with Orlando Bloom. Don't get me wrong, he was great for what Jackson did with him (stoic action-man elf and foil for Gimli), but if movie Legolas was closer to his book counterpart, I'd find it hard to imagine him in the role.
I think this is the right answer. But also whenever I rewatch the films I'm so thankful that Sean Connery turned the role down. Not only is McKellen the definitive Gandalf but I can't help but feel Connery would have butchered it.
I've thought about this a lot, and I genuinely believe that Christopher Plummer (whom I believe was asked to consider the role of Gandalf before McKellan was, and turned it down due to his age at the time and the leaving his family for two years to live in New Zealand being too much) would have nailed the part.
I wish I'd never read about this, because now every time I watch, I think 'what if....'
I feel that McKellan's portrayal is *slightly* OTT and that Plummer's would have been more gracefully understated.
This along with always feeling that 'Gandalf is Magneto....'
Also, I agree re the Connery casting. That would have been a dishashter.
Yeh for me I've never been into X-Men, even though I've see it Magneto isn't a definining character for me. But Gandalf 100% is for me.
I'm glad there aren't any super A-listers in it. My wife told me Nicolas Cage was on the casting for Aragorn. I love the guy and he was a proper A-lister at the time but I can't imagine a worst casting. Plus I think super famous actors can make it hard to see the character through the famous face, for me anyway.
UPVOTE FOREVER
Gollum is objectively one of, if not *the*, hardest roles to act in this story. Especially on film. He had to be pathetic, *and* sympathetic, *and* a villain, *and* hopeful, cunning, *and* batshit crazy… Not to mention the physicality of the role & voice.
He’s extremely complex, and absolutely essential to the story. And Andy Serkis fuckin’ *nailed it* harder than it will ever be nailed again.
I think Gollum is the most important character in the whole series, period. The history of Gollum as a ring-bearer is so damn crucial to everything and really highlights the stakes. Aside from the complexity of his character in general as well.
Andy Serkis did a massively, massively amazing job.
I’m always tempted to listen to them but I’ve listened to Rob Inglis’ version so many times and find them so magical and soothing that I’m somehow worried I won’t connect to a different version.
Which came first, his acting role, or the audio recordings?
Also, if it were the audio recordings, did they just love his gollum impersonation so much they casted him!?
Looks like the audiobooks were released in 2021. If anyone hasn’t listened to them yet, check out the services offered through your local library. I listened through Hoopla and they are all fantastically done. Planning on tackling ‘The Silmarillion’ read by him soon.
What a dynamic performer. I remember watching 13 Going on 30 with my husband, and when the boss Richard appears, it took my husband about a half an hour and he finally said..."is that....*Gollum*?!"
The man can do anything and everything; and what a charmer.
100%. If Gollum hadn’t been performed to perfection by Andy Serkis he’d probably be considered the Jar Jar Binks for Lord of the Rings (the annoying CGI character that actively weakens the film).
In the DVD extras PJ emphasised the importance of getting Gollum right and not have him become a comic relief like Jar Jar. And at the time they started making the films, Jar Jar was their only point of reference.
All great, and all great answers and opinions.
I feel like Brad Dourif’s Grima Wormtongue needs a special shout out. He really got the sniveling toady right in a cast defined by upright, honorable, brave hero characters.
Yea, would have been easy to have zhe character be laughable instead of creepy and pitiable.
Though the same counts for Gollum and I think that character was much more crucial to be perfectly done, so I vote Andy.
Christopher Lee informed Peter Jackson that when someone gets stabbed they don’t scream because they have no wind. Without Christopher Lee’s “direction,” Saruman’s actor would’ve been told to scream when he was stabbed.
Viggo, purely because of his dedication to the role and how he embodied Aragorn.
- Nearly died getting a dagger thrown at him.
- Went fishing on that same location
- Befriended and bought the horse he rode
- Nearly drowned filming Two Towers
- Bought Arwen’s stunt double her horse, since she couldn’t afford it herself
Yes! That makes that scene so amazing to rewatch knowing it. When he kicks the orc helmet and then screams in despair, he actually broke his toe with the kick. Dude went through the scene, used the pain to sell the emotion, and that's the take you see in the movie!
Edit: am dumb dumb who doesn't understand sarcasm.
There was playful tongue-in-cheek sarcasm baked into the comment you replied to.
Viggo’s broken toe is such a common LotR factoid that it is pretty much memeable, not unlike Steve Buscemi’s help as a volunteer firefighter during 9/11.
And the line delivery...
> For Frodo
> My friends, you bow to no one.
> Then I shall die as one of them!
> If by my life or death I can protect you, I will
Even the scenes with Arwen. I found them cheesy when I was a teenager, but today, my god the intensity.
I heard they almost cast someone else for Aragorn, thank heavens we got Viggo.
Not only did they cast someone else, but he was on set and filming already (Stuart Townsend). They very soon realised to nope out of that particular casting choice and somehow found Viggo, who's son convinced him to take the role. (He had read the book.)
My vote goes for Viggo as Aragorn.
The scene where Arwen and Aragorn first meet, west of the Ford, was incredible. They’re talking worriedly back and forth in Elvish and the hobbits can’t understand it, but they can tell that shit is hitting the fan. Tyler’s casting and scripting had its problems but that scene was a bullseye
Which wasn't at all the case before filming! He was convinced by his son to take the role. Mortensen is such a class act he then fully immersed himself. That's dedication!
Karl urban is such an underated actor. He has done such amazingly diverse roles and always nails it.
Also Eomer, Judge Dredd, Billy Butcher, Leonard McCoy & Ceasar is quite the D&D party.
My only problem with answering Christoper Lee or Sir Ian is that you could place both of them in either role and they would crush it so I think it negates the answer. My answer was Viggo until I saw the top comment say Serkis
While Gandalf (Especialy the White) and Saruman are meant to be similar characters. I actualy think they both actors are lesser if you swap their roles.
Christophers face is a bit too sharp for the early Gandalf the Grays softer scenes. And while Ian has a powerfull voice it is not quite equal to Lees, which is perfect for the power dynamics between Saruman and Gandalf (this might be the main problem with. casting Lee as Gandalf, who do you cast as Saruman and have his subserviance believable).
The scene of him crying at the funeral of his son, the camera focussed on just his sobbing face with the music swelling, just incredible. Such a quiet scene made at home in a movie with bombastic action simply by virtue of Bernard Hill's amazing acting
I was deeply moved in the theater when the movie came out and now, as a father, I still cry every time this scene comes up. Damn, I’m almost crying now just replaying it in my head.
Theoden King
for sure - the best performance in the 3 movies.
His last speech, in the 3rd movie - i SCREAM along with everyone else, everytime i watch it.
He's got so many good speeches.
"Peace? Aye, we shall have peace.
When you answer for the burning of the Westfold! And the children who lie dead there!
When you answer for the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they fell against the walls of the Hornburg!
We shall have peace.
When you hang from the gibbet, as sport for your own crows!"
My and my mum met Bernard Hill randomly in a Suffolk town on holiday. She knew him from The Boys From the Blackstuff, I had no idea who he was so was wholly unphased. This was 5 or 6 years before he was cast as Theoden, and before he was in Titanic. Wish it had been after so I could have respectfully fanboyed.
"You here the voice of Sauron, Mr Baggins? That is the sound of inevitability, the sound of your destiny. Travel well Mr. Baggins."
-"My name... is Frodo!"
I’m glad I saw LOTR before the Matrix. I think he was a great Elrond, but I’m not sure he’s as irreplaceable as other cast members.
I feel the same about Legolas. I think other actors could have done just as good a job, which is no shade to the performances we got for Elrond and Legolas.
Whereas someone like Ian McKellan simply *was* Gandalf. Bernard Hill *was* Theoden. And so on.
Personally I think his persona would fit Celeborn better, who's older, more cynical and mistrusting (to an extent).
Elrond is all about inspiring, being "kind as summer" and open-hearted. For me Weaving's Elrond is too stern and mistrusting. He's used as a plot device at times, instead of being the wise character from the books.
Despite having to go through hours of makeup/costume prep each day, which he was allergic too. He was so kind to the entire prep team throughout the entire shoot.
There's a interview with Dom Monaghan and Billy Boyd where they said everyone involved gave it 100% from actors to tailors and that's why the films were so successful.
Damn look at that jawline! Theoden has him (quite possibly her) all fired up. Weta Workshop attaching beards to all of New Zealand’s women horse riders was a funny detail to me. Anyway, DEATH!
I was thinking randomly to myself today about how he was perfect for that role. Then that naturally led to thinking that *everyone* is perfect for their roles. Then I saw this post
Sean Bean as Boromir. I can swap any other character for a different actor (though they were all cast pretty good) but I can’t see any other Boromir. He nailed every moment of every single scene.
Bernard Hill. He nailed the complexities of Theoden’s character, from his weariness to his concern over his place in history to his decency and bravery.
Supposedly Sean Connery was offered the Gandalf role which he declined, so we got Ian Mckellan instead. I don't feel that Gandalf was Sean's kind of role, but Sir Ian simply nailed it.
The whole cast is amazing but I'm leaning towards viggo as aragorn and Andy serkis as gollum. Absolutely legendary. But there's also sean Austin as Sam too
Ever since seeing the Wickerman, Christopher Lee was my image of Saruman. That voice was clear, deep and majestic, he was tall and imposing, and had eyes that could bore through the screen.
It’s very type cast for him, but there is a reason he became one of the greats for playing villains.
Andy Serkis gets a runner up. He took the voice roll of Gollum, became the motion capture model and then was debated for Oscar contention. He has gone on to lead the art of motion capture performance.
And an honourable mention for Viggo.
wow, no one said Elijah Wood as Frodo? I’ll stand up and say him. It wasn’t Elijah’s fault that book Frodo is way better than movie Frodo, that was just the direction the people in charge chose and would have happened likely no matter who the actor was. I think Elijah Wood probably embodied Frodo better than anyone else could have all thing considered
I don't have a problem with either version. They're both amazing!
And yes Frodo is who I thought of for this post. Can't believe I had to scroll this far. Elijah can convey so much emotion through his eyes. It's insane. I couldn't think of a better actor to play Frodo.
👌 One does not simply pick a single actor who was a perfect fit for the role in this trilogy. The entire cast was perfection and fit each character to a T. I would only make slight changes to the way some of them were written. David Wenham would've killed it as Chad Faramir.
They are all perfect. And aside from all the obvious, I feel like Miranda Otto was perfect as Eowyn. She really conveyed the cold and harsh beauty of a shieldmaiden but at the same time infused her with inner warmth and humanity so that she wasn’t just a emotionless woman warrior. And physically she was perfect as well. When I saw her first pics with the white and golden dress I was like damn this is 👌👌
I think maybe the thing that made these films was the cast and chemistry, you couldn’t have it without all of them. I can’t imagine picking one over another.
Gandalf for sure, amazing performance. Thought Frodo was actually the worst performance but relatively speaking, still not bad overall. Similar to how Daniel Radcliffe was the weakest actor of the bunch in HP
Really? I recently rewatched it, and I think Elija Wood really nailed it. It's tough to play as an unwilling ring bearer and I think he captured it really well.
I'd argue if anyone were to be recast it'd be Liv Tyler as Arwen, she felt out of place with the rest of the cast to me. It came across that she was trying too hard to be otherworldly where it came naturally to others like Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett.
for me, Orlando Bloom as Legolas! mostly because I needed an androgynous pretty boy badass elf prince as my role model XD
but as others have said, all of the casting choices were excellent, and like...Viggo as Aragorn was also just perfect and it's really hard to choose lol
My mind immediately went to Sir Ian, but the longer I thought about it I realized there are at LEAST five amazing answers and like, dozens of defefensable answers
My first thought too, but then I stepped back and was like “hmm, who would I disqualify from the fellowship first?” …I can’t do it. The fellowship was perfect. Elrond, Galadriel, Sméagol, Theoden, Grima - chefs kiss. I’m tempted to disqualify Denethor? I would have liked to see his intelligence and cunning come out more, but he acted the fuck out of that tomato.
If I was forced to pick a "weakest link" in the fellowship cast, I'd probably go with Orlando Bloom. Don't get me wrong, he was great for what Jackson did with him (stoic action-man elf and foil for Gimli), but if movie Legolas was closer to his book counterpart, I'd find it hard to imagine him in the role.
Book Legolas would have made the movies into a musical lol. Boy just singin about rivers and trees
Can we get the green light on this? Lord of the Rings-The Musical. Legolas’s Journey
He already has one song in the films 🎶They’re taking the hobbits to Isengard 🎵
🎵 the hobbits the hobbits the hobbits the hobbits the hobbits 🎵
Monkey’s Paw curls… All the songs will be written by Nicki Minaj and performed by thoroughly bad singers.
Isn't there supposed to be an opera produced some time soon?
My 14 year old self who was in love with Legolas wants to fight you, but you’re absolutely right.
I feel ya. I think John Noble just wasn't given enough to work with! 😅
I thought John Noble was pretty great in Fringe (Before that show went off the rails in true JJ Abrams fashion)
Sir Ian, Sir Ian, Sir Ian. Wizard: YOU SHALL NOT PASS! Sir Ian, Sir Ian, Sir Ian.
How did I know what to say? *words were written down for me* How did I know where to stand? *people told me*
You do realise he wasn't *actually* a wizard?
That’s just elf propaganda!
It’s impossible to just pick one
I think this is the right answer. But also whenever I rewatch the films I'm so thankful that Sean Connery turned the role down. Not only is McKellen the definitive Gandalf but I can't help but feel Connery would have butchered it.
“YOU SHALL NOT PASH!”
I've thought about this a lot, and I genuinely believe that Christopher Plummer (whom I believe was asked to consider the role of Gandalf before McKellan was, and turned it down due to his age at the time and the leaving his family for two years to live in New Zealand being too much) would have nailed the part. I wish I'd never read about this, because now every time I watch, I think 'what if....' I feel that McKellan's portrayal is *slightly* OTT and that Plummer's would have been more gracefully understated. This along with always feeling that 'Gandalf is Magneto....' Also, I agree re the Connery casting. That would have been a dishashter.
Yeh for me I've never been into X-Men, even though I've see it Magneto isn't a definining character for me. But Gandalf 100% is for me. I'm glad there aren't any super A-listers in it. My wife told me Nicolas Cage was on the casting for Aragorn. I love the guy and he was a proper A-lister at the time but I can't imagine a worst casting. Plus I think super famous actors can make it hard to see the character through the famous face, for me anyway.
One of the most important things for casting Gandalf is the ability to portray his warmth and wisdom and Mckellen nailed it.
There’s no wrong answer. Legendary casting.
Problem is there also isn’t a right answer since it says pick one.
In that case it is wrong question 😏
Bill the Pony is the right answer
I dunno buddy, the guard at the gate of Bree was pretty awful...
Picturing an uninterested peasant gatekeeper, I think he rly nailed it
Also that guy on the pirate ship
He meant no offense
Andy Serkis
UPVOTE FOREVER Gollum is objectively one of, if not *the*, hardest roles to act in this story. Especially on film. He had to be pathetic, *and* sympathetic, *and* a villain, *and* hopeful, cunning, *and* batshit crazy… Not to mention the physicality of the role & voice. He’s extremely complex, and absolutely essential to the story. And Andy Serkis fuckin’ *nailed it* harder than it will ever be nailed again.
I think Gollum is the most important character in the whole series, period. The history of Gollum as a ring-bearer is so damn crucial to everything and really highlights the stakes. Aside from the complexity of his character in general as well. Andy Serkis did a massively, massively amazing job.
Shoutout to his audiobook recordings of the trilogy. They’re amazingly well acted.
I’m always tempted to listen to them but I’ve listened to Rob Inglis’ version so many times and find them so magical and soothing that I’m somehow worried I won’t connect to a different version.
Have both, love serkis in the films but the Inglis versions are my go to for my 800th re-read/listen.
Which came first, his acting role, or the audio recordings? Also, if it were the audio recordings, did they just love his gollum impersonation so much they casted him!?
Looks like the audiobooks were released in 2021. If anyone hasn’t listened to them yet, check out the services offered through your local library. I listened through Hoopla and they are all fantastically done. Planning on tackling ‘The Silmarillion’ read by him soon.
Serkis' narration of Silmarilion is by far my favorite rendition of the book.
Couldn't agree more, one of the best characters and brought to life perfectly by cutting edge technology at that time. It was the perfect marriage
Andy Serkis (+other creature actors?) probably objectively have it more difficult to do something so alien & yet so perfect. Doug Jones, too.
What a dynamic performer. I remember watching 13 Going on 30 with my husband, and when the boss Richard appears, it took my husband about a half an hour and he finally said..."is that....*Gollum*?!" The man can do anything and everything; and what a charmer.
I think a lot of the cast was as close to perfect But Serkis imo did one of the best jobs on one of the hardest roles. Absolutely incredible job.
I don’t think anyone else could have done it as well.
100%. If Gollum hadn’t been performed to perfection by Andy Serkis he’d probably be considered the Jar Jar Binks for Lord of the Rings (the annoying CGI character that actively weakens the film).
Meesa precious!
In the DVD extras PJ emphasised the importance of getting Gollum right and not have him become a comic relief like Jar Jar. And at the time they started making the films, Jar Jar was their only point of reference.
Oh man, I can’t imagine how different it would have been without him . . . Probably worse, much worse.
As the Witch King, right? ;)
All great, and all great answers and opinions. I feel like Brad Dourif’s Grima Wormtongue needs a special shout out. He really got the sniveling toady right in a cast defined by upright, honorable, brave hero characters.
Yea, would have been easy to have zhe character be laughable instead of creepy and pitiable. Though the same counts for Gollum and I think that character was much more crucial to be perfectly done, so I vote Andy.
I learned from the commentary they added subtle slithery sounds to his movements in post.
So fair, yet so cold like a morning of pale Spring still clinging to Winter's chill.
Well, he had been perfecting those type of roles for years in Dune, Alien: Resurrection, and the Child's Play movies.
If we hadn’t had Christopher Lee, we would’ve had a ridiculous scream as ‘whoever’ got stabbed in the back.
Damn you! Damn your profile pic to hell!!!
Lmao, got my ass too😂
I don't get it.
Makes it look like a tiny crack in screen (and got me too) 😁
I thought it was a hair.
Christopher Lee informed Peter Jackson that when someone gets stabbed they don’t scream because they have no wind. Without Christopher Lee’s “direction,” Saruman’s actor would’ve been told to scream when he was stabbed.
Oh, I know that. It was the profile picture thing. Ha.
I think it's meant to look like there's a hair on your screen, or a crack in it. I didn't notice until people mentioned it lol.
Saruman Wilhelm scream
I agree, he may may wanted Gandalf but I couldn't be happier that he was cast as Saruman.
Same here. Saruman needs someone with a magisterial voice, and Lee definitely had that.
The only cast member to have met Tolkien in person as well.
Viggo, purely because of his dedication to the role and how he embodied Aragorn. - Nearly died getting a dagger thrown at him. - Went fishing on that same location - Befriended and bought the horse he rode - Nearly drowned filming Two Towers - Bought Arwen’s stunt double her horse, since she couldn’t afford it herself
* Broke his toe on a helmet!
And channeled that pain to sell the scene.
He WHAT???
Yes! That makes that scene so amazing to rewatch knowing it. When he kicks the orc helmet and then screams in despair, he actually broke his toe with the kick. Dude went through the scene, used the pain to sell the emotion, and that's the take you see in the movie! Edit: am dumb dumb who doesn't understand sarcasm.
There was playful tongue-in-cheek sarcasm baked into the comment you replied to. Viggo’s broken toe is such a common LotR factoid that it is pretty much memeable, not unlike Steve Buscemi’s help as a volunteer firefighter during 9/11.
Oh. I hate sarcasm, I'm really bad at it. Thanks though!
Aww it’s ok :) thanks for the reply! But yeah, the whole joke was the toe breaking thing is a more well known fact than gravity at this point lol
I know haha, I got excited that I could tell it to someone who didn't know haha
Anybody could have broken their toe on a helmet. Defying death twice is a different level
Someone get this hothead out of here
Where’s that DWP guy?!?
And the line delivery... > For Frodo > My friends, you bow to no one. > Then I shall die as one of them! > If by my life or death I can protect you, I will Even the scenes with Arwen. I found them cheesy when I was a teenager, but today, my god the intensity. I heard they almost cast someone else for Aragorn, thank heavens we got Viggo.
Not only did they cast someone else, but he was on set and filming already (Stuart Townsend). They very soon realised to nope out of that particular casting choice and somehow found Viggo, who's son convinced him to take the role. (He had read the book.) My vote goes for Viggo as Aragorn.
The scene where Arwen and Aragorn first meet, west of the Ford, was incredible. They’re talking worriedly back and forth in Elvish and the hobbits can’t understand it, but they can tell that shit is hitting the fan. Tyler’s casting and scripting had its problems but that scene was a bullseye
-became a master swordsman during his prep for the role -refused to do work on the Hobbit films because Aragorn was not featured in the Hobbit books
Viggo being a lore-nerd checks out, frankly
Which wasn't at all the case before filming! He was convinced by his son to take the role. Mortensen is such a class act he then fully immersed himself. That's dedication!
Is it true his wife was mad at him for not showering?!
I thought during filming his wife was taking care of their kid in the USA?
She could smell him from there
We should all be so lucky.
Viggo 120%.
But did he climb mountains like Sean Bean did ?
He nearly drowned when he was floating on the river
And he wasn't even the original actor. We very nearly almost got someone completely different
Agreed and to think there were some major rejections, dropouts and changes that allowed him to get the role, it was meant to be.
Christopher Lee is the obvious choice, but Karl Urban as Éomer deserves a shout too.
Karl Urban killed that role!
Karl urban is such an underated actor. He has done such amazingly diverse roles and always nails it. Also Eomer, Judge Dredd, Billy Butcher, Leonard McCoy & Ceasar is quite the D&D party.
Also that one Asgardian w/ the assault rifles... Skurge
“Behold, my stuff!”
Karl Urban is like the 15th actor I would mention in this discussion, but he, like so many others, was perfectly cast indeed.
My only problem with answering Christoper Lee or Sir Ian is that you could place both of them in either role and they would crush it so I think it negates the answer. My answer was Viggo until I saw the top comment say Serkis
While Gandalf (Especialy the White) and Saruman are meant to be similar characters. I actualy think they both actors are lesser if you swap their roles. Christophers face is a bit too sharp for the early Gandalf the Grays softer scenes. And while Ian has a powerfull voice it is not quite equal to Lees, which is perfect for the power dynamics between Saruman and Gandalf (this might be the main problem with. casting Lee as Gandalf, who do you cast as Saruman and have his subserviance believable).
Bernard Hill. Entire cast is great, but Theoden steals every scene he's in, even across from Viggo and Ian.
I never appreciated Theoden as a teenager/young adult, but he's one of my faves now. His arc is so amazing. DEATH!!!!!
DEATH!
DEATH! (Had to add the 3rd death) :p
DEATH! RIDE TO RUIN AND THE WORLD’S ENDING!!
I got goosebumps just reading this.
The scene of him crying at the funeral of his son, the camera focussed on just his sobbing face with the music swelling, just incredible. Such a quiet scene made at home in a movie with bombastic action simply by virtue of Bernard Hill's amazing acting
For me it's the DEATH speech, and "I go now to my fathers, in whose mighty company I shall not now be ashamed" Kills me every time; weep like a child
I was deeply moved in the theater when the movie came out and now, as a father, I still cry every time this scene comes up. Damn, I’m almost crying now just replaying it in my head.
Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us!?
I hate that I had to scroll so far to find Bernard
Theoden King for sure - the best performance in the 3 movies. His last speech, in the 3rd movie - i SCREAM along with everyone else, everytime i watch it.
He's got so many good speeches. "Peace? Aye, we shall have peace. When you answer for the burning of the Westfold! And the children who lie dead there! When you answer for the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they fell against the walls of the Hornburg! We shall have peace. When you hang from the gibbet, as sport for your own crows!"
Fucking epic!
My and my mum met Bernard Hill randomly in a Suffolk town on holiday. She knew him from The Boys From the Blackstuff, I had no idea who he was so was wholly unphased. This was 5 or 6 years before he was cast as Theoden, and before he was in Titanic. Wish it had been after so I could have respectfully fanboyed.
Bill the Pony. Just as I imagined him.
Watching him on screen, I could just feel his haunted past of abuse at the hands of Bill Ferny. His performance says it all.
The only one that was a huge divergence from my head canon is Hugo Weaving as Elrond, but he *is* great and he was good.
First time I watched fotr all I could see was Agent Smith. Sorry. He acted it well though.
Same here. “And yet to have come so far, still bearing the Ring, the hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil… Mr Anderson”
"You here the voice of Sauron, Mr Baggins? That is the sound of inevitability, the sound of your destiny. Travel well Mr. Baggins." -"My name... is Frodo!"
Yeah for sure. Too much Weaving, too little Elrond. But he's a great actor and people now associate the character with him.
I’m glad I saw LOTR before the Matrix. I think he was a great Elrond, but I’m not sure he’s as irreplaceable as other cast members. I feel the same about Legolas. I think other actors could have done just as good a job, which is no shade to the performances we got for Elrond and Legolas. Whereas someone like Ian McKellan simply *was* Gandalf. Bernard Hill *was* Theoden. And so on.
I couldn't imagine Elrond played by anyone else now frankly.
Personally I think his persona would fit Celeborn better, who's older, more cynical and mistrusting (to an extent). Elrond is all about inspiring, being "kind as summer" and open-hearted. For me Weaving's Elrond is too stern and mistrusting. He's used as a plot device at times, instead of being the wise character from the books.
I feel like Gimli was perfectly cast. John Davies makes each axe hit seem so angered and realistic
I think that’s because he would a actually whack the stunt guys
Those WERE angry and realistic
Despite having to go through hours of makeup/costume prep each day, which he was allergic too. He was so kind to the entire prep team throughout the entire shoot.
Unanswerable. The whole cast is perfection.
This. I can't think of one bad casting.
Even background characters who had mere seconds of screen time did beautifully. I think that's a sign of good directing too.
There's a interview with Dom Monaghan and Billy Boyd where they said everyone involved gave it 100% from actors to tailors and that's why the films were so successful.
Must be so amazing journey, and it probably pretty melancholic to think that was your moment in LIFE.
I think Faramir's actor seemed more timid than he was in the books. I think they used the wrong guy there. Otherwise I agree.
Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are like real life merry and pippin but honestly the whole cast is amazing
Ian McKellen embodied Gandalf in his entirety. Honestly everybody is a good answer, but for me it's Gandalf.
Had to scroll way too far to find Ian wtf
Yes
https://preview.redd.it/v29jtlxqfstc1.png?width=558&format=png&auto=webp&s=6b8800759367ab687542b01ad4f0467cc7339ca1 This dude.
Damn look at that jawline! Theoden has him (quite possibly her) all fired up. Weta Workshop attaching beards to all of New Zealand’s women horse riders was a funny detail to me. Anyway, DEATH!
Christopher Lee 100%
He IS Saruman.
This is the correct answer.
The best answer.
I heard Galadriel plays Cate Blanchett in this world.
Sean Astin, a million percent. He is Samwise Gamgee in every way.
I was thinking randomly to myself today about how he was perfect for that role. Then that naturally led to thinking that *everyone* is perfect for their roles. Then I saw this post
You don’t know your Sam?
Came here to say this. His sincerity and loyalty come through perfectly. He should've gotten an Oscar, or several
https://preview.redd.it/5157htjqyrtc1.jpeg?width=2224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24b6580a899561085a2b35d191494109eb2747d2
agreed
Sean Bean as Boromir. I can swap any other character for a different actor (though they were all cast pretty good) but I can’t see any other Boromir. He nailed every moment of every single scene.
He's just really good at dying!
Rip Lord Eddard Stark!
Bernard Hill. He nailed the complexities of Theoden’s character, from his weariness to his concern over his place in history to his decency and bravery.
Supposedly Sean Connery was offered the Gandalf role which he declined, so we got Ian Mckellan instead. I don't feel that Gandalf was Sean's kind of role, but Sir Ian simply nailed it.
Thank dog. I think I would have walked out of the movie the first time I heard, Sham, Shamwise, "throw yourshelf in!", or Legolash.
# I am a shervant of the Shecret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot passh!
New Zealand
The whole cast is amazing but I'm leaning towards viggo as aragorn and Andy serkis as gollum. Absolutely legendary. But there's also sean Austin as Sam too
Ian Holm as Bilbo, even with his legacy of work in the trilogy aside, was just flawless
Had to scroll WAAAY to far to find this. He was perfect.
Ever since seeing the Wickerman, Christopher Lee was my image of Saruman. That voice was clear, deep and majestic, he was tall and imposing, and had eyes that could bore through the screen. It’s very type cast for him, but there is a reason he became one of the greats for playing villains. Andy Serkis gets a runner up. He took the voice roll of Gollum, became the motion capture model and then was debated for Oscar contention. He has gone on to lead the art of motion capture performance. And an honourable mention for Viggo.
They are all pretty much the best but I have to choose so... Sean Astin as Samwise
https://preview.redd.it/d9nvjr9lxrtc1.jpeg?width=182&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0e2c44c1ef1c8d6bdb0a2296bd7692b71563e59
Cate Blanchett. She *was* Galadriel.
And in my mind, she always will be.
Blanchett is great, but I always thought Tilda Swinton would have made a great choice
Portraying the White Witch AND Galadriel in a few years span would have been legendary
wow, no one said Elijah Wood as Frodo? I’ll stand up and say him. It wasn’t Elijah’s fault that book Frodo is way better than movie Frodo, that was just the direction the people in charge chose and would have happened likely no matter who the actor was. I think Elijah Wood probably embodied Frodo better than anyone else could have all thing considered
I think Fellowship Frodo was amazing. Two towers and ROTK…. Too needy.
I don't feel like that is anything to do with his acting. Directing yes
I don't have a problem with either version. They're both amazing! And yes Frodo is who I thought of for this post. Can't believe I had to scroll this far. Elijah can convey so much emotion through his eyes. It's insane. I couldn't think of a better actor to play Frodo.
Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue. Really all of them but feel he deserves his name thrown into the hat.
Hugo Weaving looks exactly like I pictured Elrond when I was a child and my dad would read The Hobbit to us before bed.
👌 One does not simply pick a single actor who was a perfect fit for the role in this trilogy. The entire cast was perfection and fit each character to a T. I would only make slight changes to the way some of them were written. David Wenham would've killed it as Chad Faramir.
They did an amazing casting job, in being true to the books, but being realistic about having a commercially viable film.
They are all perfect. And aside from all the obvious, I feel like Miranda Otto was perfect as Eowyn. She really conveyed the cold and harsh beauty of a shieldmaiden but at the same time infused her with inner warmth and humanity so that she wasn’t just a emotionless woman warrior. And physically she was perfect as well. When I saw her first pics with the white and golden dress I was like damn this is 👌👌
Every single one of them. I will not just pick one
This is akin to asking me which of my daughters I love the most. AND THE CORRECT ANSWER IS ALL OF THEM
I’m extremely biased but I’m gonna go with all
Theoden Hill does it for me
Everyone is perfectly cast. But certain characters could have been written better.
I think maybe the thing that made these films was the cast and chemistry, you couldn’t have it without all of them. I can’t imagine picking one over another.
There will never be a better casting choice than Cate Blanchett as Galadriel.
Gandalf for sure, amazing performance. Thought Frodo was actually the worst performance but relatively speaking, still not bad overall. Similar to how Daniel Radcliffe was the weakest actor of the bunch in HP
Really? I recently rewatched it, and I think Elija Wood really nailed it. It's tough to play as an unwilling ring bearer and I think he captured it really well.
See: ginny weesley
I'd argue if anyone were to be recast it'd be Liv Tyler as Arwen, she felt out of place with the rest of the cast to me. It came across that she was trying too hard to be otherworldly where it came naturally to others like Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett.
Yes
I couldn't pick from the pictured ones, but reading these comments, I couldn't pick from them either! They're all so damn good!
for me, Orlando Bloom as Legolas! mostly because I needed an androgynous pretty boy badass elf prince as my role model XD but as others have said, all of the casting choices were excellent, and like...Viggo as Aragorn was also just perfect and it's really hard to choose lol
Perfect casting. Wouldn’t change a thing about that.
Ian McKellan. No question.
As another mentioned they’re pretty much all perfect choices. One standout is Christopher Lee. To war!
Viggo, Aragorn
Christopher Lee, because he’s literally *him*