In 2001, the first bankruptcy of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was once released onto the big display. With groundbreaking particular results, an epic storyline, and a cast of wonderful actors bringing JRR Tolkein's characters to life, the film become a essential and industrial good fortune and remains to be loved today.
The film boosted the careers of a host of actors, together with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, even supposing a number of different actors have been considered for roles in the film. Uma Thurman used to be it seems that in line for the role of Arwen, David Bowie auditioned for the role of Gandalf, and Irish actor Stuart Townsend used to be nearly Aragorn. In reality, Townsend was once forged for the part, however the day ahead of filming began, he was got rid of from the film and replaced by way of Viggo Mortensen.
So, why was Townsend brushed aside from the film? And what happened to the actor in the years that followed? Let's take a closer look.
Stuart Townsend: The Man Who Was Almost Aragorn
Stuart Townsend wasn't a big-name star in the years prior to Peter Jackson's fantasy epic, despite the fact that he was a well-recognized face to British audiences. He worked often all the way through the 90s in motion pictures that aren't particularly well-known to folks outdoor of the UK, however which can be nonetheless price in the hunt for down. These films integrated Shooting Fish, a comedy with some other emerging famous person, Kate Beckinsale, and Wonderland, an early movie from acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom.
By the finish of the 90s, Townsend had carved out reasonably the career for himself, and his public profile used to be given a boost as a result of of his relationship with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron. America began to take notice of his skills after his 2000 film, About Adam, performed at the Sundance Film Festival, and Peter Jackson chose him for the position of Aragorn in the Rings trilogy. The phase should have cemented the actor's profession in Hollywood, however unfortunately he was removed from the fellowship.
Why Did Stuart Townsend Leave The Lord Of The Rings Cast?
Lord Of The Rings kickstarted the profession of a number of big-name actors, and it should had been the large wreck that Townsend needed in Hollywood. Unfortunately, he used to be pushed aside from the film. So, what went fallacious? Well, at the age of 29, it seems he was too young for the part, a minimum of in director Peter Jackson's eyes. At the Press Conference for the film, Jackson told the media that Townsend agreed and that the two parted on good phrases.
The tale told by Townsend is a different one, and is one this is a ways much less amicable than Jackson's model of events. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor mentioned:
"I was there rehearsing and training for two months then was fired the day before filming began. After that, I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. I had been having a rough time with them, so I was almost relieved to be leaving until they told me I wouldn't be paid.
I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don't. The director wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different."
In the end, the 42-year old Viggo Mortensen used to be passed the part, and Townsend was once left licking his wounds. Still, the actor persisted to paintings in Hollywood, although his next movies were not very a success.
What Happened To Stuart Townsend?
Townsend can have misplaced one main guy function, but he was once soon given the keys to two others. In 2002, he was forged as the vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned, a role in the past taken via Tom Cruise in Interview With the Vampire. He used to be also solid as Dorian Gray in the movie adaptation of Alan Moore's The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. These were both top profile films, they usually must have catapulted Townsend into the huge leagues in Hollywood.
Sadly, both motion pictures failed. Queen Of The Damned did relatively well at the field office, but it surely fell foul of film critics. It grossed $45.Five million on a $35 million finances, however reviewers quickly sank their teeth into the film. "Wishy-washy and hampered by cliche, sitting through this is like enduring a vampire life: it's one long wait for the end," mentioned one reviewer for Empire magazine. The movie was given traction after the death of leading girl Aaliyah, however it's infrequently mentioned these days.
Townsend's other huge movie, 2003's The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, grossed over $175 million at the box place of business, however reviewers cited the movie as a large number. The film was once blighted with a bunch of problems, including inventive differences between Sean Connery and the film's director, and mass flooding on one of the film's units. While not a complete disaster, the movie nonetheless did little for Townsend's occupation.
Following on from those big-budget screw ups, Townsend persisted to paintings, but only a few of his movies have been granted large theatrical releases. These included Head In The Clouds, a romantic drama that also featured Townsend's then-partner, Charlize Theron, and rom-com The Best Man, which disappeared on liberate.
In contemporary years, Townsend has most commonly been seen on television, in presentations equivalent to Betrayal, and Salem. In 2019, he used to be brought back into the public eye, but now not for his work on display. Instead, he faced domestic abuse charges following a combat together with his wife, even though those fees had been later dropped.
As of nowadays, Townsend has a bunch of different movies in development, however whether or not they give him the success that should had been afforded him after Lord Of The Rings stays to be observed.
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