The Lord of the Rings. Before filming began on 11 October 1999, the principal actors trained for six weeks in sword fighting (with Bob Anderson), riding and boating. Jackson hoped such activities would allow the cast to bond so chemistry would be evident on screen as well as getting them used to life in Wellington. They were also trained to pronounce Tolkien’s verses properly.
After the shoot, the nine cast members playing the Fellowship got a tattoo of the English word “nine” written in Tengwar, with the exception of John Rhys-Davies, whose stunt double got the tattoo instead. The film is noted for having an ensemble cast, and some of the cast and their respective characters include:
— Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: a young hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo. Wood was the first actor to be cast on 7 July 1999. Wood was a fan of the book, and he sent in an audition dressed as Frodo, reading lines from the novel. Wood was selected from 150 actors who auditioned, including Jake Gyllenhaal.
— Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey: an Istari wizard and mentor to Frodo. Sean Connery was approached for the role, but did not understand the plot, while Patrick Stewart turned it down as he disliked the script. Before being cast, McKellen had to sort his schedule with 20th Century Fox as there was a two-month overlap with X-Men. He enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than his transformed state in the next two films, and based his accent on Tolkien. Unlike his on-screen character, McKellen did not spend much time with the actors playing the Hobbits; instead he worked with their scale doubles.
— Viggo Mortensen as “Strider” Aragorn II Elessar: a Dúnedain ranger, the descendant of Isildur, and heir to Gondor’s throne. Daniel Day-Lewis was offered the part at the beginning of pre-production, but turned it down. Nicolas Cage also received an offer, declining because of “family obligations”, while Vin Diesel, a fan of the book, auditioned for Aragorn. Stuart Townsend was cast in the role, before being replaced during filming when Jackson realized he was too young.
Russell Crowe was considered as a replacement, but he turned it down after taking what he thought to be a similar role in Gladiator. Day-Lewis was offered the role for a second time, but declined again. Executive Producer Mark Ordesky saw Mortensen in a play. Mortensen’s son, a fan of the book, convinced him to take the role. Mortensen read the book on the plane, received a crash course lesson in fencing from Bob Anderson and began filming the scenes on Weathertop. Mortensen became a hit with the crew by patching up his costume and carrying his “hero” sword around with him off-camera.
— Sean Astin as Samwise “Sam” Gamgee: a hobbit gardener and Frodo’s best friend. Astin, who had recently become a father, bonded with the 18-year-old Wood in a protective manner, which mirrored Sam’s relationship with Frodo.
— Billy Boyd as Peregrin “Pippin” Took: a hobbit who travels with the Fellowship on their journey to Mordor.
— Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck: a distant cousin of Frodo. Monaghan was cast as Merry after auditioning for Frodo.
— John Rhys-Davies as Gimli: a dwarf warrior who accompanies the Fellowship to Mordor after they set out from Rivendell and a descendant of Durin’s Folk. Billy Connolly, who was considered for the part of Gimli, later portrayed Dáin II Ironfoot in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film trilogy. Rhys-Davies wore heavy prosthetics to play Gimli, which limited his vision, and eventually developed eczema around his eyes.
— Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf: a prince of the elves’ Woodland Realm and a skilled archer. Bloom initially auditioned for Faramir, who appears in the second film, a role which went to David Wenham.
— Sean Bean as Boromir: a prince of the Stewards of Gondor who journeys with the Fellowship towards Mordor. Bruce Willis, a fan of the book, expressed interest in the role, while Liam Neeson was sent the script, but passed.
— Liv Tyler as Arwen Undomiel: an elven princess of Rivendell and Aragorn’s lover. The filmmakers approached Tyler after seeing her performance in Plunkett & Macleane, and New Line Cinema leaped at the opportunity of having one Hollywood star in the film. Actress Helena Bonham Carter had expressed interest in the role. Peter Jackson wanted to cast Uma Thurman as Arwen, but Thurman pulled out due to pregnancy, Tyler came to shoot on short occasions, unlike the rest of the actors. She was one of the last actors to be cast, on 25 August 1999.
— Sala Baker as Sauron: the Dark Lord of Mordor and the Ring’s true master who manifests as an Eye after the destruction of his physical form. Originally hired as one of the several stunt performers for the film trilogy, Baker ended up landing the role. In addition, he went on to play several Orcs as well.
— Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: the elven co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn.
— Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: the fallen head of the Istari Order who succumbs to Sauron’s will through his use of the palantír. Lee was a major fan of the book, and read it once a year. He had also met J. R. R. Tolkien. He originally auditioned for Gandalf, but was judged too old.
— Hugo Weaving as Elrond: the elven Lord of Rivendell who leads the Council of Elrond, which ultimately decides to destroy the Ring. David Bowie expressed interest in the role, but Jackson stated, “To have a famous, beloved character and a famous star colliding is slightly uncomfortable.”
— Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins: Frodo’s uncle who gives him the Ring after he decides to retire to Rivendell. Holm previously played Frodo in a 1981 radio adaption of The Lord of the Rings, and was cast as Bilbo after Jackson remembered his performance. Sylvester McCoy, who would later play Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit, was contacted about playing the role, and was kept in place as a potential Bilbo for six months before Jackson went with Holm.
— Andy Serkis as Gollum voice and motion capture: a wretched hobbit-like creature whose mind was poisoned over centuries by the Ring. Serkis also voiced the Witch-King of Angmar.
— Marton Csokas as Celeborn the Wise: the elven Lord of Lothlórien and Galadriel’s husband;
— David Weatherley as Barliman Butterbur, proprietor in Bree
— Lawrence Makoare as Lurtz: the commander of Saruman’s Orc forces;
— Craig Parker as Haldir: the leader of the Galadhrim warriors guarding the border of Lothlórien;
— Mark Ferguson as Ereinion Gil-galad, the last Elven-King of Noldor;
— Peter McKenzie as Elendil the Tall: the last High King of Arnor and Gondor;
— Harry Sinclair as Isildur: Elendil’s son and Aragorn’s ancestor who originally defeated Sauron.
— Peter Jackson as Albert Dreary: a man of Bree.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Andy Serkis
Screenplay by: J.R.R. Tolkien, Frances Walsh
Production Design by: Grant Major
Cinematography by: Andrew Lesnie
Film Editing by: John Gilbert
Costume Design by: Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor
Set Decoration by: Dan Hennah, Alan Lee
Art Direction by: Joe Bleakle, Dan Hennah, Philip Ive, Rob Outterside. Mark Robins
Music by: Howard Shore
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images.
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Release Date: December 19, 2001
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