Did you know Viggo Mortensen wasn’t the original choice to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings? In fact, the first guy trained for months before getting replaced.
For many fans, Viggo Mortensen will always be Aragorn son of Arathorn, the role in played in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. But it might surprise you to learn that he wasn’t originally supposed to portray the character. Irish actor Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) was initially cast, but he was replaced by Mortensen right before filming began.
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 23: Stuart Townsend attends the premiere party for ABC’s “Betrayal” at Vertigo Sky Lounge on September 23, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)
Townsend had actually been training for two months prior to being replaced. Mortensen remembered the uncomfortable situation while speaking with The Irish Times. “When I was told that I would be replacing someone I felt awkward about it,” he said. “I wondered if I would meet the actor but he was gone when I got there. I was just thrown into it and had to do the best I could. That’s all I know. And I did run across Stuart after we finished — I think it was in Los Angeles — and said hi. I hear he’s a nice guy and I am sorry that happened.”
Outside of the knowledge that he’d be replacing Townsend, Mortensen didn’t know much about the situation. Things like this happen in the film and television industries sometimes. “I didn’t inquire too much about it. He was part of the team. I am sure he would have done a great job. He’s a good actor. I don’t know how it went down.”
Whatever the reason Townsend was replaced, it’s difficult to take issue with it after seeing Mortensen as Aragorn. They could have been very different movies had Townsend been involved, but we’ll never know if would have been good for the better or the worse.
In sadder Lord of the Rings news, Mortensen revealed to NME that several of the horses used in the film have since died, but at least they got to live with him the rest of their lives.
“There were actually three horses that I bought, they were up for sale once the movies were done,” Mortensen said. “There were the two I’d ridden – a chestnut and then the big bay that Aragorn rides – but I also bought the white horse that Arwen rides in The Fellowship Of The Ring when she’s being chased through the forest by the Black Riders.”
"The person who did that spectacular bit of riding was a stuntwoman who I ended up becoming friends with. I knew how much she liked that horse, so I bought it for her. That one is still around, but the other two have passed away. They were of a certain age already when we shooting and that’s 20 years ago now."
A moment of silence of the Lord of the Rings horses and for the heights Stuart Townsend’s career could have reached had he not been replaced in this hugely famous role.
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h/t CinemaBlend