Russell Crowe Explains Why He Turned Down ‘Lord Of The Rings’

Universal Pictures

Russell Crowe is presently chewing surroundings as Roger Ailes in Showtime’s The Loudest Voice, but when issues had performed out in a different way, he may have been chewing po-tay-toes on the set of The Lord of the Rings. The tempestuous Gladiator star was a latest visitor on The Howard Stern Show, the place he revealed that he got here near taking part in Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning, Middle-earth-set trilogy… till he spoke to the director on the cellphone.

“I didn’t think Peter Jackson wanted me on that film,” Crowe mentioned, referring to The Fellowship of the Ring. “Because he was forced into talking to me, because there was a moment in time when everyone wanted me in everything.” He continued, “I am talking to him on the phone, it is like, I don’t think he even knows what I have done. I just knew that my instinct was that he had somebody else in mind… and he should be allowed to hire the actor who he wants.”

That “somebody else” was Viggo Mortensen. As for Crowe, he has no regrets about his choice, or the large payday he turned down. He would have earned ten % of the trilogy’s earnings, or roughly $100 million, as a part of a backend deal, however Crowe doesn’t take into consideration the paycheck, “only in situations like interviews where people are polite and kind enough to add sh*t up for me.”

The joke’s on Viggo, although: he’s not a member of the Dark Universe.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)