In a new video interview with GQ, Russell Crowe returned to talk about when he turned down the role of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. It’s not the first time the actor talks about the negotiations for the part of him, but in this interview he went into more detail about what happened.
Crowe received a very important offer from New Line to play Aragorn: he was also offered a percentage of the proceeds. But the meeting with director Peter Jackson dissuaded him: “No, I have no regrets. I had the feeling that it was the studio that had made that decision, not the director of the film. I talked to Peter Jackson on the phone, and he didn’t say the things that directors say if they’re really trying to lure you into a project. I had the feeling that he already had someone else in mind that he wanted for that role. And that my acceptance would have hindered his plans.”
“We come from the same place,” Crowe added. “There was a nuance to that conversation that other people might not hear — we’re both New Zealanders — in his way, without saying anything negative, he let me know that he had another plan. So I let it go.”
We remind you that Aragorn will soon return in a new Lord of the Rings film directed by Andy Serkis and entitled The Lord of the Rings: the hunt for Gollum. The release is scheduled for 2026.
