Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Wizards

5. Christopher Lee Had Some Troubling Information About Saruman's Death Scene

saruman lord of the rings
New Line Cinema

Sadly we never saw Sir Christopher Lee's final moments as Saruman in the theatrical cut of The Return of the King. Fortunately, however, Peter Jackson treated fans to the extended editions, and Lee was finally given the onscreen death he deserved.

Saruman's death in the movies differs in location to the books, but he essentially suffers the same end; killed by his not-so-loyal servant, Gríma Wormtongue. Lee had to feign being stabbed and topple out of frame before a digital version of himself was shown plummeting onto a spike.

But when Peter Jackson began to give Lee directions on what noise to make, the actor interjected. It turns out Sir Christopher ='s extensive military service in World War II had given him certain intimate knowledge about the sound someone makes when they're stabbed. Jackson thought it best not to press the matter and allowed Lee to get on with it.

Contributor

Before engrossing myself in the written word, I spent several years in the TV and film industry. During this time I became proficient at picking things up, moving things and putting things down again.