# Just for fun: If YOU had casted the LOTR movies... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976 "2002-10-05T16:39:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/1 "2002-10-05T16:39:26Z")
…what changes and additions would you have made? The only major change I would have made would be casting Oded Fehr as Aragorn instead of Viggo Mortensen. Feel free to throw things at me, but I don’t like Viggo’s acting (or, I confess, looks) nearly as much as Oded’s. On the other hand, there are some additions to the cast I would have made that wouldn’t disrupt the existing cast. I’d have cast Robert Patrick, Nina Gordon and Poe (the singer, not the poet) as extras in the Elven cities. They already look like elves 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/2 "2002-10-05T17:26:02Z")
Aragorn: Bill Murray Gandalf: Groucho Marx Legolas: Tim Curry Gimli: Hunter S. Thompson Boromir: Marlon Brando (a la “on the waterfront”) Frodo: Macauley Culkin Sam: Burt Ward Bilbo: Anthony Hopkins Gollum: Neal Diamond Galadriel: Cloris Leachman Arwen: Shelley Duvall Elrond: Peter Boyle Faramir: James Caan Theoden: Wallace Beery Eomer: Michael Douglas Eowyn: Susan Sarandon Saruman: Christopher Walken Treebeard: The Jolly Green Giant Denethor: Mel Brooks ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/3 "2002-10-05T20:24:44Z")
The hobbits are lovely, as is. The rest. . . . How about a few people who passed Theater Arts 1a? Gandalf: Alec Guiness Saruman: Jack Nicholas Aragorn: Pierce Brosnan Boromir: no change Gimli: Robbie Coltrane Legolas: Diana Rigg Arwen: Emma Thompson Elrond: Christopher Lee Galadriel: Marlene Dietrich ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/4 "2002-10-05T20:50:41Z")
Now, now, **partly-warmer** , Sir Alec has already played Gandalf…they just called him something else. Wise old advisor to the hero, magical powers, allowing the hero and his companions to escape by battling the powerful figure of evil and dying in the process, returning from the dead (albeit in a somewhat more incorporeal form) to offer advice and assistance. Far be it from me to accuse Lucas of an eensy bit of plagiarism… 🙂 As to the OP, I’m going to continue a fine old Usenet tradition in casting threads and say that Sean Connery should have been Gandalf. Of course, then they’d have had to write out the Aragorn/Arwen romance so that Connery could shtup Liv Tyler in the third movie… ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/5 "2002-10-06T01:32:50Z")
After seeing Patrick McGoohan as Longshanks in _Braveheart_ I thought he would make a good Saruman, or Denethor. Not that I have a beef with Christopher Lee’s Saruman, and we haven’t seen Denethor yet. Before the first movie came out I could have pictured either Connery or Patrick Stewart (with a lot of makeup) as Gandalf, but now I always picture Gandalf as McKellan. I think he really nailed the portrayal. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/6 "2002-10-06T01:40:14Z")
Oh, and **Qadgop** , you forgot Robin Williams as Bombadil ( **elfikin477** said we could make additions) and Brendan Fraser as Ghan-Buri-Ghan (he’s already played a caveman once). ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/7 "2002-10-06T02:12:12Z")
I would cast Hugo Weaving as everyone in the movie. Even Arwen. Any man who can go from playing Mitzi del Bra to Agent Smith to Elrond has enough acting range for the whole cast. 😃 Though I’d make an exception for Mira Furlan, who would make an excellent Galadriel. (She’s best known in the states for playing Delenn on _Babylon 5_.) ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/8 "2002-10-06T05:32:02Z")
I love the cast as it stands – except (and this is no slight to John Noble, as we haven’t seen him yet) I’d have cast Paul Scofield as Denethor. (This has a lot to do with his performance as the French King in the Branagh _Henry V_…) ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/9 "2002-10-06T16:10:42Z")
The only change I would make is casting Michelle Pfeiffer as Galadriel. I think she has the timeless beauty that the part requires. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/10 "2002-10-06T17:01:30Z")
Hey, **Lagomorph** , I was going to mention Williams for Bombadil! Before the news came out of the Peter Jackson version, I had sort of figured on Patrick Stewart as Denethor, Charleton Heston as Theoden, and probably Schwartzenhoweveryouspellit as Boromir. Sean Connery, I had figured would be Elrond (which hopefully eliminates the possibility of him and Arwen shacking up). ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/11 "2002-10-06T18:29:01Z")
Allright,here’s My cast, it’s not complete but I ran out of time, and thought to finish it. I can’t say as PJ did a perfect job of casting, but it was Damn good on the Hobbits Gandalf-Patric Stewert Bilbo-Dudley Moore (yea he’s dead but I can dream) Frodo- Samwise- Peregrine- Meridoc- Fatty Bologer- (No suggestiton But I would have included this scene to get across the Wraiths in the Shire) Tom Bombodil-See Below Goldenberry- Karol Cane Aragorn- Sir Sean Connery (do you all forget that he is _Middle_ aged?) Butterbur- John Goodman Wichking- Peter Cushing Boramir- Bruce Willis Legolas- Nick Cage Gimli- Golum- Snoop-Dog (no makeup needed) Elrond- Sauraman- Sir John Guilgould Galadrial- Theodyn- Sam Watterston Wyrmtounge- Mr. Whipple (Stop giggling) Eomer- Faramir- Delthanor- Jemermy Irons (OH, that death speech in that sexy voice) Arawen- Eowyn- Linda Hamilton? (the Chick from Terminator) I’d have never though of Robin of Tom (Rom) Bombidil. What an awsome chioce. I bow to you! ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-for-fun-if-you-had-casted-the-lotr-movies/130976/12 "2002-10-07T19:30:36Z")
I was pretty pleased with everyone, but I’d make these two changes: Elrond: David Bowie Arwen: Kate Winslet Mmmm… Daved Bowie.