Can you imagine this guy as Aragorn?

[Paragon]

Neither could Peter Jackson, apparently. Little known fact: Stuart Townsend (above) was replaced by Viggo Mortensen (below) after 4 days of shooting The Fellowship of the Ring because of "creative differences".

Dodged a bullet there, I'd say.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. Nope not I

Only Viggo Mortensen can play Aragorn in my book . Stuart Townsend looks a bit more Legolasish ( yeah I made up a word )

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. yeah

Creative differences, that's just a nice way of saying "you look like a chipmunk, not a king, begone!"

[joeybee12]

3. I think they alluded to that on one of the DVD extras

Jackson said something about they weren't getting the "quality" they wanted with Stuart. That really isn't all that uncommon--some actors just look a certain way or have a certain style and you can't get around it. But Viggo certainly was the right choice, although I'd sleep with either of them in a minute. Not that I've been asked.

[Paragon]

5. One entry in the IMDb says...

...Peter Jackson decided he wanted to go with someone older -- given that Aragorn is supposed to be eighty-something years old (Rangers are blessed with very long life), I can understand.

More likely: a New Line studio exec saw the first bunch of dailies and canned the guy. In retrospect, no one else could've played Aragorn like Viggo, though I also read Daniel Day-Lewis was offered the part.

Same thing happened on X-Men -- Dougray Scott was cast as Wolverine, but shooting his part as the bad guy in Mission: Impossible 2 went long, so Hugh Jackman was brought in, and owned it.

[joeybee12]

6. Danile Day Lewis could have been pretty good--he;s got that brooding

part about him that works well when Viggo does it.

This reminds me of The Bourne Identity--the latest version with Matt Damon. Matt is a very good actor, but he is physically too slight to be an action hero--there's really no getting around it.

[grannylib]

16. Bourne Identity was such a disappointment, especially if you read the

book...the movie only dealt with about 1/10th of the story, and Damon's character was supposed to be about 40-something...it sucked.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

9. If the Dunedain are supposed to live two to two and a half times longer

than regular humans, that would make Aragorn around forty, which is perfect for Mortensen. Mortensen is Aragorn.

[Beaker]

20. Aragorn is 87...or is it 83?...well- 80-something, anyway.

He says so in a scene in the expanded version of "The Two Towers".

Frodo is supposed to be in his 30's, but that probably wouldn't sell well as far as appealing to the children's market.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. Aragorn's 87. Frodo's 50, but again Hobbits live longer than humans

n/t

[Richardo]

4. There's only one Agarn in my book...

[hippiechick]

7. Only Viggo can smoulder like that ...

:loveya: ummmmmmmmmmmm ... that brooding angst !!


:hippie:

[smirkymonkey]

27. Viggo went to my alma mater...

I missed him by 1 year!! Damn!! How's that for being born under a bad sign?

[THUNDER HANDS]

8. they got very lucky

I was watching the movie GI Jane the other day and Viggo is in it. What's suprising is that he doesn't stand out as an actor that well. But he just OWNS this role.

[Maine-i-acs]

10. Viggo rocks!

He is my idea of an action hero. Fighting off a horde of Urakhai with one sword - not blowing away hundreds of guys with a machine gun like the Gropinator...

[LanternWaste]

11. I'd been wondering who the "phantom actor" was...

I'd been wondering who the "phantom actor" was that had been originally billed to fill the role ever since I watched FotR Extended DVD. Can't say I'm too upset over the change, though. Viggo seemed to fit the role to a greater extent than any actor I can imagine.

As a matter of fact, it was the casting that I always thought would've been the toughest part in making the movies, and PJ nailed down every part (except Arwen- but that's just my tough cookies) to a tee. I was especially pleased and surprised with the Merry and Pippen roles. But Miranda Otto was, without a doubt, my favorite choice in the film. Man, what I wouldn't give to take her out to dinner one evening....

[Bridget Burke]

17. According to the commentaries, PJ didn't do all of the casting....

Apparently, Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens did more. They joked about Elrond's twins (Elladen & Elrohir?)--not featured in the movie version. The ladies said it was too bad they didn't have to find two more extremely handsome actors to play elves.

Some wondered whether the movie would have much appeal to women. Eowyn's got a kick-ass role & they did build up Arwen's part--but would women be interested in a film about (mostly) a bunch of guys? Ha! Let some women PICK the guys & we're talking. Four cute hobbits, one beautiful elf, Sean Bean, Karl Urban, etc..... (I'd have been interested anyway, as a long-time Tolkien fan--but I don't object to a bit of eye-candy.)

Count me as glad that the original Aragorn "didn't work out". He's a cutie, but is not worthy of touching the (grubby, frayed) hem of Viggo's garment.

By the way, the latest Vanity Fair has Viggo on the cover; he cleans up nicely. The rest of the magazine has several articles of a liberal bent, so it's NOT a totally frivilous expenditure!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

18. It was going to be David Bowie for Elrond, y'know.

Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke were very nearly Faramir and Eowyn.

[Beaker]

21. Rollergirl(heathergraham) might have made a good Eowyn...

Personally, the actress they have as Eowyn just doesn't do it for me...

[Bridget Burke]

23. Better David Bowie than Steven Tyler!

They could have had a real father/daughter team....

About Uma & Ethan--were the final decisions from the movie makers? Or did the actors decline? It was a big commitment--New Zealand is so far away & PJ was not very well known.

I'm pretty glad the casting worked out as it did. Uma appears a bit "ethereal" to me--almost elf-like--but she could have worked out as Eowyn. David Wenham really does look like Sean Bean's brother.

It's fun to speculate on casting decisions, plot changes from the books, etc. But the whole project could have been SO BAD! Imagine: "Walt Disney presents: Fellowship of the Ring!"

[Screaming Lord Byron]

24. don't know any more about it, I'm afraid. n/t

[LanternWaste]

19. Surprised (but glad) so many women enjoy the film....

I think the only other film I'd seen Viggo in was called, "28 Days"(?). He played the lead male role opposite Sandra Bullock and at the time, I had no idea who he was other than he did a pretty good job in that film and while certainly not stealing the scenes he's in, his screen presence makes me think of the old-style acting schools (Grant, Cagney, etc.).

I'm actually surprised so many women liked the film. From this guy's perspective, it's a straight-up "guy" movie (i.e., lot's of action, love-story somewhat downplayed, etc.). Not that I'm complaining mind you, I'm just surprised.

Boyens and Walsh are getting more and more respect from me as I continue watching interviews from the TTT Xtended DVD. I had just always thought it would be *impossible* to translate the novels to a screenplay and they did it and did it keeping the... substance and soul of his books alive.

[bleedingheart]

28. its not just a guy movie

I read the books when I was a kid and loved em...and I am a gal.
My husband and i love LOTR but also loved Sense and Sensibility....
so you never know....

[Kathy in Cambridge]

12. Viggo...yummmmm!

He really has the bone structure of a swash-bucking hero. Not to mention his politics are A-OK!

:-)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

13. Didn't know about his politics, but I'm sure not surprised to hear it. n/t

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

14. Its the hair !

Chicks dig the hair . I do ...

[Screaming Lord Byron]

15. It's a wig in LOTR, he has his real hair in 'Hidalgo' which looks good.

[zbdent]

25. In the books, Aragorn, until he actually is crowned King,

looks like he's had a very hard life.

The hobbits mistook him for an unsavory character when they first met up with "Strider".

I believe that it wasn't until Gandalf hooked back up with them that they understood just who they had entrusted their lives with. Even the innkeeper was a bit fearful of him.

Once he was crowned king, he hard times on his face fit more into the true nature of Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Isildur.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

26. John Hurt voiced him in the cartoon. Now that's weathered! n/t