news culture The Lord of the Rings: James Bond turned down the role of a lifetime in Peter Jackson’s trilogy
Difficult to imagine The Lord of the Rings with another actor than Ian McKellen to embody Gandalf. However, this is what could have happened if Sean Connery had not refused the role he had been offered in the famous saga of Peter Jackson. A decision that could have brought the actor out of his James Bond image that stuck to his skin.
A real juggernaut, The Lord of the Rings is a saga that is implanted in our imagination. Movies have cemented their place in culture, and it’s now hard to imagine a character’s physique without thinking of one of the actors who portrayed them. This is the case for the character of Gandalf that many imagine in the guise of Ian McKellan, who had this role in the trilogy The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Peter Jackson, however, had other choices than this actor, in particular Sean Connery. The production seemed to bet everything on his presence and was ready to pay him a salary of 30 million dollars. Even with this huge sum of money, the famous actor refused.
Why Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings?
With $30 million for the role, it’s not about salary. The reason is very simple : he said he didn’t understand the story. He had read the books, the scripts and then the movies once they came out, Sean Connery still didn’t understand her and said he couldn’t give himself entirely to a great saga in this situation. It was a question of feelings for this actor who did not want a role which, quite simply, did not speak to him. This refusal shows the implication that Sean Connery had for his profession by refusing a role in a big budget film. A link with his character had to be experienced in order to give his all. Instead, he starred in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a critically acclaimed film that would conclude his great career. We can now always imagine what The Lord of the Rings would have been like with Sean Connery as Gandalf.
