If things had gone differently for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ casting, we would have had an extremely different “Fellowship of the Ring.” For one, Sean Connery was supposed to play Gandalf, but he turned down the role for a couple reasons. The first, which is the most understandable of the two, was the lengthy filming time frame of 18 months; but it’s his second reason that’ll make you laugh –- “I didn’t understand the script.” 

Christopher Lee, the man who became Saruman the White, also wanted the part of Gandalf and in fact states in the commentary that it was a “decades-long dream” of his to play the wizard. If it wasn’t for the physical requirements of the role -– horseback riding, the wizard fight scene, etc. –- he might’ve won it, but his self-proclaimed age limitations ultimately made him a better fit for Saruman. 

Stuart Townsend was another would-be ‘Lord of the Rings’ star, but his original role of Aragorn was taken away from him by Peter Jackson himself after realizing literally one day into shooting that Townsend was too young and too ill-equipped as a physical actor for the part. Viggo Mortensen wasn’t even sure he could handle the part, being that he never read the books or met Jackson, but ultimately accepted after getting a needed push from his son Henry.

Read More: 10 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Lord of the Rings' Movies | http://screencrush.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-things-you-didnt-know/?trackback=tsmclip