Peter Jackson strikes again. He originally cast Irish actor Stuart Townsend in the role of Aragorn for the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, with the actor undergoing months of intensive sword and stunt training for the character. He'd done rehearsals and been costume fitted, so he was just as surprised as anyone when he was suddenly jobless. Why He Was Fired: Townsend was only informed the day before shooting began that his services wouldnt be required. The actor claims he didn't really get along with the people in charge, so it was almost a relief to be let go. To add insult to injury though, New Line refused to pay him for all the time he'd spent training, as he hadnt worked on the movie long enough. The official reason he was let go was that Jackson felt he was too young to play the character, which feels like an issue that could have been resolved by not hiring him in the first place. Viggo Mortensen replaced him, and the rest is history.
