15 Actors Who Were FIRED From Movies During Production
9. Stuart Townsend - The Lord Of The Rings
It's well-known in the movie industry that Stuart Townsend was set to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings but was fired as soon as production began. The story goes that Townsend (who was 28 at the time) was too young to play Aragorn, causing him to be replaced by 42-year-old Viggo Mortensen.
However, there are conflicting details about this story. Many sources state the Dublin-born actor was fired after four days of filming, while Townsend himself claimed he was let go before filming even began. Others believe his age wasn't an issue at all, and he was instead removed because he was difficult to work with.
Townsend was furious, since he had spent two months training and rehearsing, only to be ejected from the production without getting paid. When he spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the experience, Townsend stated, "I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't."