10 Actors Who Passed On Iconic Movie Roles
2. Nicolas Cage - Aragorn In The Lord Of The Rings
Naturally, whenever a beloved book series is adapted into a film, its fans begin furiously debating about what actor should play which character.
Any casting announcement which doesn’t sit right with the fanbase will be met with uproar and cries of “Them? Seriously?!”. So it’s important to get it right and most diehard Tolkien devotees will admit that, as far as Viggo Mortensen’s casting as Aragorn goes, Peter Jackson nailed it.
Still it could’ve been quite a different story. Just imagine the fan reaction if Jackson’s initial choice, notoriously hammy actor Nicolas Cage, had gotten the part. Along with several other actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Russell Crowe, Nicolas Cage was offered the role of Strider himself. It’s certainly an interesting exercise to imagine whether he would have gone completely over the top with his performance or if Jackson could have reigned him in.
Sadly, we’ll never find out as Cage turned the offer down over “family obligations” and the part went to Mortensen soon after.