All rights reserved. He was also the only person involved with the Lord of the Rings films to have actually met Tolkien himself. The 92-year-old actor, an accomplished performer in his own right, also stood out among the Lord of … Lee agreed to reprise his role as Saruman for The Hobbit film series on the condition that, due to his age, he did not have to fly out to New Zealand to be filmed. Christopher Lee as Dracula. He later said that it was probably for the best because he no longer had the stamina required to play Gandalf. His role as Saruman the White in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings is definitely one of his most memorable roles.. He did not get it, but was called back as Saruman instead. According to Jackson, Lee was actually more interested in the taking on the role of Gandalf in the fantasy epic. Make sure to read the entire interview here. The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Beyond the Movie: The Fellowship of the Ring, Sir Christopher Lee dies at 93 - latest reaction and tributes, Interview with Christopher Lee, Ian Mckellen, and John Rhys, http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Christopher_Lee. Sir Ian McKellen Wants To Play Gandalf in Amazon's LORD OF THE RINGS Series! Several shots of him in the finished films show him carefully hiding this bandaged left hand. Last year, legendary actor Christopher Lee passed away. But he accepted the role of Saruman wanting to participate in the project any way he could. Christopher Lee: People get the actor mixed up with Sir Ian McKellen as they tweet 'RIP Gandalf' Twitter has outdone itself with the flurry of 'heartfelt tributes' According to Jackson, Lee was actually more interested in the taking on the role of Gandalf in the fantasy epic. When McKellen was cast as Gandalf, Lee was 78 years old and McKellen was 61. Last year, legendary actor Christopher Lee passed away. This page was last modified on 4 October 2020, at 14:22. Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE (1922-2015)[1]was an English actor, who portrayed Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, The Hobbit film trilogy, and read the The Children of Húrin audiobook. Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in the film series, passed away this week at the age of 93. National treasure Christopher Lee has still got it.. Tolkien, who gave him his blessing to play Gandalf. Not as good, although apparently Peter Jackson wanted Lee to play Saruman the White from the start, despite hearing that the actor wasn’t interested in any more villain roles. Lee also had the experience of actually meeting Tolkien in person (making him the only individual involved in the film trilogies to do so) while visiting The Eagle and Child during the 1950s: Lee always envisioned himself as being Gandalf, so when he read that Peter Jackson would be adapting his bedside book, he immediately called his agent. 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It’s worth the time, especially if you’re a fan of Lee’s work. Amazingly, Christopher Lee had the honor of meeting J.R.R. Lee had a long history with Tolkien's fiction; he read The Hobbit after leaving the Royal Air Force in 1945, and since The Fellowship of the Ring came out, he read all Tolkien's books once a year. Let's Talk About THE MANDALORIAN Chapter 11: "The Heiress" Which Features Bo-Katan in Action! Lee always envisioned himself as being Gandalf, so when he read that Peter Jackson would be adapting his bedside book, he immediately called his agent. This page has been accessed 262,171 times. According to Jackson, Lee was actually more interested in the taking on the role of Gandalf in the fantasy epic. Why Sean Connery Turned Down the Role of Gandalf in Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS, The Beatles Wanted to Make a LORD OF THE RINGS Movie, Cartoon Style LORD OF THE RINGS Character Designs, Gandalf vs. the Balrog in Found 1978 LORD OF THE RINGS Animated Film. He visited New Zealand four times, the longest time being ten weeks. All names, trademarks and images are copyright their respective owners. While jet-lagged, Lee broke his hand smashing it against a wall. Lee has recounted his life and his connections with Tolkien's work in the foreword to Chris Smith's The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare, and in chapter 74, titled "Spellbinder", of his autobiography, Lord of Misrule. Jackson. He sang the role of Treebeard, as well as reciting numerous other poems. Copyright © 2008-2020, GeekTyrant Industries, LLC. He had the opportunity to star in some pretty awesome and wonderful films over the course of his career. /// Copyright / DMCA Notice As Saruman he had the air … He did not get it, but was called back as Saruman instead. TIL Christopher Lee received Tolkien's blessing to play the role of Gandalf, if a movie was ever released, but he played Saruman instead. The director wanted him in the role of Saruman from the very beginning, but Lee really, really wanted to play Gandalf. Although he realized he was too old to play Gandalf, he read the part. Voices Comment Ian McKellen: When we weren't facing off on-set, Christopher Lee was a true gentleman and touchingly nervous. During a recent interview with EW, Jackson recounted the story of what went down when they met with Lee and what it was like for them throughout the shoot because apparently the whole time Lee was bummed out he wasn’t playing Gandalf. He had the opportunity to star in some pretty awesome and wonderful films over the course of his career. The director wanted him in the role of Saruman from the very beginning, but Lee really, really wanted to play Gandalf. He later did some post-synching in London. His role as Saruman the White in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings is definitely one of his most memorable roles. Although he realized he was too old to play Gandalf, he read the part. Lee auditioned for the part of Gandalf, but according to an interview with Lawrence French called Sir Christopher Lee on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Lee stated "Of course I would have loved to play Gandalf, but I don’t think he (Peter Jackson) ever had me in mind for Gandalf, because by that time I was too old. Known for his booming voice, Christopher Lee has sung operas, and performed with the Tolkien Ensemble on their CDs At Dawn in Rivendell and Leaving Rivendell. Links monetized by VigLinkCustom Code and Design by, Free Reyes, Learn What Happened to All the Heroes of THE LORD OF THE RINGS After It Ended. Cookie Declaration /// Privacy Policy Copyright © 2008-2020, GeekTyrant Industries, LLC. All rights reserved. Lee shot most of his scenes in Wellington, in the main studio, but also shot one scene in Wellington's national park.