Ian McKellen played the famous wizard Gandalf in all six of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films. The fact that his casting in the iconic Lord of the Rings role was once anything but certain is now almost unimaginable. Looking back, the actor can’t help but sneer a little when he thinks about it famous colleagues who rejected Gandalf.
Before Ian McKellen, the Lord of the Rings role of Gandalf was offered to famous stars like Anthony Hopkins
Even though Gandalf didn’t do everything right as the leader of the Fellowship, he is one of the most iconic and beloved characters in the Lord of the Rings films. Ian McKellen played a crucial role in making the wizard who we know him as. However, he recently gleefully told Variety that he… She only got the role of Gandalf because other stars didn’t want her.
I definitely wasn’t Gandalf’s first choice. Anthony Hopkins turned down the role. Sean Connery definitely did. They are all now emerging from obscurity and I hope you feel stupid.
It’s difficult today to imagine Hannibal Lecter actor Anthony Hopkins or the now deceased James Bond star Sean Connery in the Lord of the Rings cosmos in the gray robes of Frodo’s mentor.
Ian McKellen doesn’t shy away from criticizing Tolkien’s character: some time ago he argued that his second reincarnation as Gandalf the White “most boring wizard in the world” be. But the Lord of the Rings star will forever be grateful that his rejection of a Mission Impossible role at the time ultimately gave him his two most famous roles as Gandalf and Magneto.
The Rings of Power: Podcast for the Lord of the Rings series with a season 2 outlook
In the grand finale, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power solves the biggest mysteries of the first season. We discuss the revelations and take a look ahead at what promises the series is already making for season 2.
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Whether hidden Lord of the Rings references or promised new characters who join Galadriel and Sauron: We take a close look at the end of the season and talk about the best and worst moments in equal measure.
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