James Corden Almost Played Sam Gamgee in Lord of the Rings

Peter Jackson’s authentic Lord of the Rings films are acclaimed to today for a lot of causes, with its forged chief amongst them. It’s the collection that helped introduce audiences to longtime actors such because the late Christopher Lee or Ian McKellan, and tremendously boosted the profile of relative unknowns like Orlando Bloom or Elijah Wood. Now think about that forged is essentially the identical, besides as a substitute of Sean Astin within the position of Frodo Baggins’ longtime BFF Samwise Gamgee, it’s present late night time discuss present host James Corden.

That’s a future we may’ve gotten, a minimum of in response to Corden himself. In a latest 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 many first appearing roles he pursued. “Every single person in London auditioned for Lord of the Rings,” he mentioned. “I auditioned for Samwise. I was doing it! The accent and everything! ‘Mr. Frodo!’” He added that he and two of his associates acquired callbacks, twice, however finally weren’t contacted once more after that.

Since he didn’t seize the position of Sam, Corden’s actual breakout position would wind up being the Baker in Disney’s 2014 adaptation of Into the Woods. He was fairly upfront about saying his Sam audition was “not good,” however in any other case holds no actual unhealthy blood about getting handed 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…bizarre to consider Corden being in that position, to be trustworthy, nevertheless it makes you marvel about what would’ve spawned from that if he had landed the half. Would he nonetheless have wound up a late night time discuss present host who sometimes reveals up in a random film? Would Astin proceed to voice Shazam in animated DC films or be in Stranger Things? Maybe it’s for the very best that issues labored out the best way they did?

[through Variety]

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