Sean Connery once turned down the role of Gandalf in ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Peter Jackson, for a period of time, had envisioned Sean Connery as Gandalf, the wise and powerful wizard central to the epic trilogy. So much so that the offer on the table was an impressive sum of $30million, coupled with a staggering 15% of the box-office earnings. A deal like this would have seen Connery journey to the scenic locales of New Zealand to step into the role that would later become synonymous with actor Ian McKellen.
Despite this lucrative proposition, Connery remained unmoved. The Scottish actor’s reason for turning down the role was quite straightforward: he didn’t understand the series. “I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it,” Connery disclosed in an interview years later, as reported by the New Zealand Herald. But even in his rejection, he showed graciousness, praising McKellen’s portrayal of Gandalf as “marvellous”.
It’s worth noting the financial impact of Connery’s decision. The Lord of the Rings trilogy amassed an eye-watering figure of $2.981 billion at the global box office, meaning Connery’s 15% cut would have been a comfortable $447 million. But wealth was seemingly not a driving force for Connery’s decisions; he opted instead for roles that resonated with him.
After turning down Gandalf, Connery starred in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, marking his final on-screen role. Meanwhile, McKellen reprised his role as Gandalf in the subsequent Hobbit trilogy, further cementing his place in the heart of Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
Interestingly, Connery has a history of turning down roles in films that he couldn’t grasp, including John Hammond in Jurassic Park, The Architect in The Matrix, and Sybock in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. However, his connection to Star Trek V remains; the alien words “Sha Ka Ree” are a playful nod to his name.
Barring Star Trek, it’s hard to imagine Connery’s appearance elevating the franchise more than the eventual actors who did reprise the roles. And in the case of Gandalf, it’s probably for the best that he didn’t “understand” it. Besides turning in one of the most memorable and iconic performances in 21st-century cinema, McKellen, unlike Connery, has a squeaky-clean record and zero history of derogatory, misogynistic comments, making it all the easier for us to continue loving him some 20 years later.
