Mission: Impossible II star Dougray Scott claims he was in the running to play Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies.
Warner Bros.' epic trilogy featured famed acting talents of performers such as, Elijah Wood, Sir Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett, each appropriately cast. Among them, most fans agree Viggo Mortensen was perfect as the ranger, Aragorn. Although the star only appeared in Jackson's three movies from 2001 to 2003, Mortensen became synonymous with playing the rugged ranger.
It was nearly a very different story. Speaking to NME, Scott revealed how he turned down the chance to play Aragorn. "They sent [the script] to me," explained Scott. "They wanted me to go meet Peter Jackson in New Zealand, but to be honest with you I'd just finished doing MI:2 and the idea of spending two years away in New Zealand I just couldn't quite contemplate." The 54-year-old added, "I read it... I thought it was great, and I thought the movie was terrific. Like everyone else, everyone's agents were getting sent the script. They didn't offer it to me, but they sent me the script to read for sure."
Discussing his Aragorn decision, Scott says his agent asked whether he was sure he was making the right decision by turning down a potentially iconic part. Still, Scott maintains he was happy with the choice he made and thought "Viggo was great." Although Mortensen was a fan-favorite addition to Jackson's trilogy, his casting as Aragorn was also something of a fluke. The League of Extraordinary Gentleman's Stuart Townsend was originally cast. However, Jackson thought he was too young to play Aragorn. Mortensen eventually took the part just four days before filming began.
Ironically, this is the second major role that Scott has been linked to that would've likely put him on a very different path to stardom. Most notably, Scott came close to playing Wolverine in Bryan Singer's X-Men, but was forced to drop out when Mission: Impossible II ran over schedule. Ultimately, the role was given to Hugh Jackman. Only recently, Scott opened up about the missed opportunity of playing Wolverine and said Tom Cruise was to blame. Scott went on to star in acclaimed TV series such as Desperate Housewives, Hemlock Grove, and made a recent appearance in Batwoman.
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy was a monumental success that helped to draw the fantasy genre into popular culture. A prequel series is currently being developed at Amazon Studios.
Produced by Amazon Studios, The Lord of the Rings prequel series stars Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Maxim Baldry and Daniel Weyman.