Skip to main content

James Corden Almost Played Sam Gamgee in Lord of the Rings

Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision (AP)

Peter Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings movies are acclaimed to this day for many reasons, with its cast chief among them. It’s the series that helped introduce audiences to longtime actors such as the late Christopher Lee or Ian McKellan, and greatly boosted the profile of relative unknowns like Orlando Bloom or Elijah Wood. Now imagine that cast is largely the same, except instead of Sean Astin in the role of Frodo Baggins’ longtime BFF Samwise Gamgee, it’s current late night talk show host James Corden.

That’s a future we could’ve gotten, at least according to Corden himself. In a recent episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the UK actor addressed the longstanding rumors that New Line Cinema’s 2000s fantasy epic was one of the first acting roles he pursued. “Every single person in London auditioned for Lord of the Rings,” he said. “I auditioned for Samwise. I was doing it! The accent and everything! ‘Mr. Frodo!’” He added that he and two of his friends got callbacks, twice, but ultimately weren’t contacted again after that.

Since he didn’t grab the role of Sam, Corden’s real breakout role would wind up being the Baker in Disney’s 2014 adaptation of Into the Woods. He was pretty upfront about saying his Sam audition was “not good,” but otherwise holds no real bad blood about getting passed over. “I enjoyed it until the last one [Return of the King],” he joked, “and then I was sort of like, ‘Oh, ok, I’ve seen this now — I should’ve gone to see Love Actually.”

It’s...weird to think about Corden being in that role, to be honest, but it makes you wonder about what would’ve spawned from that if he had landed the part. Would he still have wound up a late night talk show host who occasionally shows up in a random movie? Would Astin continue to voice Shazam in animated DC movies or be in Stranger Things? Maybe it’s for the best that things worked out the way they did?

[via Variety]


Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Only Version of Return of the King Worth Watching Missing From Max After Streaming Bug

Screenshot: Warner Bros. Bad news for Max subscribers who’ve made re-watching The Lord of the Rings extended editions an annual New Year tradition: the third film in the trilogy, The Return of the King — which just celebrated its 20th anniversary! —is only available to stream in its theatrical version. No ancient evil is to blame, thankfully; it’s an unspecified “tech issue,” according to a Max spokesperson who responded to a comment request from Vulture after the issue was noted by dismayed fans on Reddit . The fact that The Return of the King extended edition is merely temporarily unavailable is actually good news given Max’s track record for removing content in the past, and the explanation makes sense considering The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers remain available in both their theatrical and extended editions. The Max spokesperson assured Vulture that The Return of the King extended edition will be, ah, returning soon to the service, though as of this writing i...

Unicorn Jerky Is Not Only the Perfect Name for a CBD Candy Edible, It's Also 20% Off, and Proceeds Go to The Trevor Project [Exclusive]

Unicorn Jerky CBD Candy | $24 | Sunday Scaries | Promo Code UJSUPPORT20 Unicorn Jerky (Subscribe & Save) | $19 | Sunday Scaries | Promo Code UJSUPPORT20 Read more...

You Can Visit Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in Hollywood

Image: Universal Pictures Just in time for Halloween and for the release of Blumhouse and Universal Pictures’ Five Nights at Freddy ’s fans can visit a pop-up location of the fictional franchise from the game and film. That’s right, a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza has mysteriously appeared in Hollywood. Like in the game and upcoming film, it’s a run-down spot that’s been closed down due to some mysterious activity within. Unfortunately, you can’t actually go in unless you’re hired as a security guard (kidding)—it’s just a facade for photo-ops you can visit. Check out the video captured by deadboifilms on TikTok below at the location on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood (near the Chateau Marmont Hotel). If you want to encounter the animatronic band of fuzzy and totally friendly creatures from the game, you’ll have to visit Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, there’s a walk-through in the DreamWorks theater lobby that’s been taken over by Blumhouse which features the real Jim ...