David Bowie was a titan of the music industry who revolutionized the domain with his innovative approach to the art. Considered by many as one of the most influential figures in popular culture in the 20th century, Bowie was loved by fans all over the world. However, this very fame and success proved to be a hindrance when he wanted to play a particular role in the lucrative The Lord of the Rings franchise film.
The late singer, who was reportedly interested in playing the role of Elrond in the famed franchise, had made several overtures for the same. However, the director of the project, Peter Jackson, had other ideas. He believed that a popular character and a popular celebrity shouldn’t be paired, as that idea made him slightly uncomfortable. Therefore, he went on to cast relatively lesser-known actors at the time.
David Bowie Was Rejected From Starring in The Lord of the Rings Film for a Surprising Reason
David Bowie was one of the most preeminent and revolutionary singers in the entertainment industry. In addition to his legendary music career, Bowie left an indelible mark on the silver screen with his award-winning performances. The late singer had worked in many iconic movies, which helped him display his multiple talents.
According to reports, the Starman hitmaker was interested in playing the role of Elrond in the Peter Jackson-directed 2001 epic fantasy adventure film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. However, the movie director Jackson once revealed that he intentionally offered the job to relatively unknown stars at the time because he was slightly uncomfortable with the idea of casting a popular actor to play such a famous character.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the award-winning filmmaker revealed the reason behind casting lesser-known actors in the film. Spilling the beans to EW for their 2001 cover story on The Lord of the Rings, he said,
“These are famous, famous characters, loved for nearly 50 years,” adding, “To have a famous, beloved character and a famous star colliding is slightly uncomfortable.”
Peter Jackson is a gifted director who has always taken his work seriously. He was seemingly not sold by the celebrity status of celebrated superstar David Bowie and hence wanted a suitable and seasoned actor to play the role.
Dominic Monaghan Claims David Bowie May Have Auditioned For the Role of Gandalf
In a candid interview with HuffPost, Dominic Monaghan, who played the role of Meriadoc Brandybuck in the critically acclaimed film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, revealed that when he went to audition for his role, he saw the late music icon David Bowie at the casting agency, assuming he might have auditioned for Gandalf. Speaking with HuffPost, Monaghan shared,
“I was at the Hubbard’s, which is a pretty notorious casting agency office in London, doing an audition for ‘Lord of the Rings,’ and when it ended, I went over and talked to John Hubbard, who was running the audition, and he said, ‘Hey, it went really well. You should wait around for 5 or 10 mins. We’ll give you some feedback.”
He continued,
“I thought, ‘Oh, OK, cool, and I sat in the reception office. As I was reading a magazine waiting, David Bowie came in and signed, his little list and went in. And I’m assuming he read for Gandalf. I can’t think of anything else he would’ve read for. He may have read for something else, but I’m a huge David Bowie fan, and I was lucky enough to know his son now, so just seeing him in person was pretty special to me.”
Peter Jackson-directed epic fantasy adventure film boasts a star-studded cast ensemble featuring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, and more. The Oscar-nominated movie earned critical acclaim and grossed $898 million at the global box office.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: HuffPost, Entertainment Weekly
