Nicolas Cage Turned Down an Iconic Role in ‘Lord of the Rings’
Nicolas Cage has been in the film industry for a long time, appearing in many movies you may have watched. It is interesting to note that he could have been in the popular movie trilogy Lord of the Rings in addition to the many movies he has featured. However, he turned down the role, and it was given to another actor.
‘Lord of the Rings’ is a popular trilogy
The movie trilogy follows some heroes as they protect the world from evil. The trilogy is a high fantasy focusing on Frodo Baggins, who has a ring that has immense power and tends to corrupt the owner.
The heroes (elves, hobbits, dwarves, and wizards) take on a journey to destroy the ring. As the fellowship takes the journey to destroy the ring, they encounter evil Sauron and his riders.
The trilogy is based on J.R.R Tolkien’s novels. The three parts of Lord of the Rings are; The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Return of the King (2003), The Two Towers (2002).
Who plays the role of Aragorn?
As much as the show follows the journey of Baggins, it also follows Aragorn as he rises from a ranger to a king. At first, Aragorn does not present himself as the heir to Gondor’s throne as he is not ready to lead.
As he supports Baggins, he develops courage and claims the throne. In the trilogy, he exhibits excellent leadership skills, and in the end, he is officially crowned king.
Viggo Mortensen plays Aragorn’s character in the show. Mortensen is a Danish-American actor who has made appearances in movies such as Witness (1985) and History of Violence (2005).
Mortensen is known by many due to his Aragorn role in Lord of the Rings. Mortensen might have been less famous if Cage had taken the role of Aragorn. While the performance of Mortensen in the trilogy is excellent, Cage would have been an epic part of the series if it had worked out.
Nicolas Cage is an iconic actor
According to the Insider, Cage has made appearances in over 100 movies. Some of the movies were loved by many people, while others received many criticisms from the fans.
Cage won an Academy Award after his performance in the 1995 movie, Leaving Las Vegas, and some of the other notable movies he has featured include; Con Air (1997), National Treasure (2004), and Ghost Rider (2007). Cage’s body of work is vast and his films tend to become cult-classics.
Why didn’t the star play in ‘Lord of the Rings?’
Considering the many movies Cage has featured in, he probably would have played the iconic role ‘Aragorn’ to perfection, but he turned it down. Cage confesses that the role may have benefited him, but his life circumstances did not allow him to feature in the trilogy.
Speaking to Newsweek, he said: “There certainly were movies that I probably would have benefited from if circumstances in my life allowed me to make them.” When asked to speak more about the role offered for Lord of the Rings, he said that there were certain things in his life, preventing him from traveling from his home for three years.
In the same interview, Cage insists that he did not regret not making the movie. “I think regret is a waste of time,” Cage says, referring to roles that he could not manage to make. Cage also cites The Matrix as a movie that he could have made.
Cage told Newsweek that he enjoys watching them even though he did not feature in the movies. It would have been exciting to see Cage feature in the movie trilogy Lord of the Rings, but many fans can agree that Mortensen did a great job.
