Russell Crowe explains the refusal of ‘The Lord of the Rings’: ‘I felt that the director wanted another actor’

No one understood Russell Crowe’s decision, 61, to refuse the invitation to play the character Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings” in the early 2000s. In a recent interview, the actor finally told what would have happened. Despite being a big fan of Jrr Tolkien’s works, he explained that during a telephone conversation with Peter Jackson, he realized that the director was not enthusiastic about having him on the project.

Crowe emphasized that he noticed that the decision to scale him departed more from the studio than from the director himself. As both are New Zealandes, the actor said he had captured nuances in the conversation that indicated that Jackson already had another actor in mind for the role. “He didn’t say the things that directors normally tell when they are trying to attract you to a project,” he said. “I kind of had the feeling that he already had someone else in mind for the role. I felt that the director wanted another actor and say ‘yes’ would actually disturb.”

Crowe’s refusal had a significant financial cost. The offer included 10% of trilogy profits, plus a salary of $ 100 million (around $ 566 million in the current price). Crowe’s name was raised by production because at the time he had been widely praised for his role as Ridley Scott’s Gladiatus Decimus Meridius, released in 2000. “He had other plans, so I left it,” said the actor, in an interview with GQ British.

Aragorn’s role was eventually played by Viggo Mortensen, whose performance was widely praised and became emblematic in the franchise. Despite the financial loss, Crowe said he does not regret his decision because he believes that Mortensen was the right choice for the role.