Jake Gyllenhaal opens up about his horrible Frodo audition for The Lord of the Rings

By Jesse Giroux

Posted 12 years ago

When casting for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS began back in 1999, 150 different actors auditioned to play Frodo Baggins for Peter Jackson. Obviously Elijah Wood ended up getting the part, and he did an outstanding job as the little hero. Jake Gyllenhaal was apparently also interested in the role, but according to the actor, his audition did not go well at all.

Gyllenhaal and five other actors (Matthew McConaughey, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Josh Brolin and Michael B. Jordan) were invited by THR to one of their annual awards season roundtables, and when they were asked about their strangest auditions, Jake Gyllenhaal revealed he had bad one for THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

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I remember auditioning for The Lord of the Rings [the role of Frodo] and going in and not being told that I needed a British accent. I really do remember Peter Jackson saying to me, "You know that you have to do this in a British accent?" We heard back it was literally one of the worst auditions.

Oops. There are tons of examples of famous casting "what ifs," and while some are interesting and could have worked (Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones), others were just bad ideas from the start (remember when Ashton Kutcher was almost Batman?) Jake Gyllenhaal is a fine actor, but I feel like Elijah Wood was a perfect fit for the part. Gyllenhaal could have been a decent Frodo, but I'm glad Wood ended up getting the role, and I think the films were better off with Elijah Wood as the character.

But you're glad that audition for PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME went so well, right Mr. Gyllenhaal? Mr. Gyllenhaal? Hey, where'd he go?

Source: THR

Tags: Adventure, Alan Howard, Andy Serkis, Billy Boyd, Brent McIntyre, Cameron Rhodes, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Craig Parker, David Weatherley, Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, Frances Walsh, Harry Sinclair, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Ian McKellen, Ian Mune, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Rhys-Davies, Lawrence Makoare, Liv Tyler, Mark Ferguson, Marton Csokas, Martyn Sanderson, Megan Edwards, Michael Elsworth, Noel Appleby, Orlando Bloom, Peter Jackson, Peter McKenzie, Philippa Boyens, Sala Baker, Sarah McLeod, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Viggo Mortensen

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Jesse Giroux

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Favorite Movies: American Beauty/Psycho/Splendor/History X, 12 Monkeys, Schindler's List, About Schmidt, Fargo, Blazing read more Saddles, Bringing Out the Dead, Rushmore, Dark City, The Dark Knight, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Funny Games, God Bless America, High Fidelity, Igby Goes Down, L.A. Confidential, Leon, Magnolia, Memento, Shaun of the Dead, Se7en, Reservoir Dogs, Adaptation, There Will be Blood, Happiness, I Heart Huckabees, Grosse Pointe Blank, Frailty, The Vengeance Trilogy, In Bruges, Sunshine, Scanners, Team America, City of God, Four Lions, Requiem for a Dream, The Blues Brothers, The Road, Tae Gook Gi, Children of Men

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