Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors – Looper

Christopher Lee is the man responsible for bringing the wizard Saruman leader of the White Council to life in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings." Meant to oppose Sauron's power, he ultimately seeks that strength for himself and becomes a primary antagonist in both "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" before his death in the final film. The actor was praised for his performance, with The Guardian calling it "powerfully resonant" and one of the highlights of the trilogy.

Yet, Lee wasn't initially interested in playing Saruman. Instead, he wanted to play an entirely different wizard Gandalf the Grey. Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly following Lee's death, Peter Jackson revealed that the actor was interested entirely in auditioning for Gandalf. In fact, when Lee heard that Jackson was making the trilogy, he reached out to the filmmakers directly. During a meeting between Lee, Jackson, and Fran Walsh, Lee outlined why he would be the perfect choice for Gandalf, despite the fact that the pair were already in discussions with Ian McKellen to play the heroic wizard.

The director explained that Lee effectively forced them to record him doing some lines as Gandalf before leaving, despite the fact that Jackson and Walsh were prepared to offer him the role of Saruman there and then. He was offered the part a few weeks later after McKellen had been confirmed as Gandalf.

Read the original here:
Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors - Looper

Related Post

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero
This entry was posted in Christopher Lee. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.