He was going to play Aragorn in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, he was fired and one of the stars of the film revealed the reason: “It was negative creative energy”

Viggo Mortensen was not the first choice to play Aragorn in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. In fact, Stuart Townsend was hired, but fired the day before from the start of filming. According to Sean Astin, who played Sam Gamyi, Peter Jackson and the film’s crew did everything they could to help him, but it didn’t work.

He revealed it in his memoir ‘There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale’: “He didn’t look or feel well and could not explain what was needed to correct the problem. Stuart wasn’t helping, he was a black hole of negative creative energy. I keep wondering why he couldn’t relax and enjoy the process.”

Astin then opined that perhaps Townsend had not been able to handle such an important role. Or maybe Jackson thought his performance would be “inconsistent with the spirit of the production.”

Stuart Townsend’s reaction

Every story has different perspectives, and Stuart Townsend’s is critical regarding the treatment received by Peter Jackson and the film’s crew:

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he explained it this way: “I was practicing and training for two months, and then I was fired the day before filming started. After that They told me they wouldn’t pay me because I was breaching the contract. for not having worked hard enough. I had had difficulties with them, the truth is that I was almost relieved to leave until they told me that they would not pay me. I don’t have good feelings towards the people who were in charge, I really don’t. “At first the director wanted me in the role and then apparently he thought better of it and cast someone who is twenty years older than me and is completely different.”

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ will mark the return of the saga to live action. The latest rumors suggest that Viggo Mortensen will not repeat as Aragorn. Directed by Andy Serkis, the film will be released on December 17, 2027.

Subscribe to the MeriStation channel on YouTube, your video game and entertainment website to find out all the news and updates about the world of video games, movies, series, manga and anime. Analysis, interviews, trailers, gameplays, podcasts and much more. We also encourage you to follow our TikTok account.

Follow us on both and, if you are interested in licensing this content, click here!