Sean Bean confirms that he could have been cast as a different key character than Boromir in the milestone fantasy movie franchise The Lord of the Rings. The trilogy that began with 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring launched most of its cast to a new level of international fame as the epic fantasy saga became the biggest property in the world.
Sean Bean notoriously plays many characters who die, and though Boromir perishes in Fellowship of the Ring‘s ending, Bean returns as him in the follow-up in some flashback scenes. Bean is also widely known for roles in Game of Thrones and Troy, and is appearing in this year’s Anemone, featuring Daniel Day-Lewis’ return to acting.
However, in a new interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Bean speaks out about being considered for a different role than Boromir by a key creative. When asked, “was it always for Boromir,” Bean says that Oscar-winning producer Barrie Osborne was very interested in having him play Aragorn, though the actor gives the impression he never really saw this as a possibility.
Check out Bean’s full comment below:
There was talk about Aragorn at one point, and I know Barrie Osborne, one of the producers, I think he was quite keen on me to play Aragorn, but I mean, you know, I was playing Boromir, settled on that, and then Viggo came along, and he made a magnificent Aragorn.
Podcast host Josh Horowitz then brings up that Bean’s recent co-star Day-Lewis was also in talks to play Aragorn, seemingly emphasizing that whatever Osborne might have thought, other actors were well ahead of Bean for the role.
How Being Cast As Boromir Shaped Sean Bean’s Legacy
In retrospect, Sean Bean has an impressive ability to establish himself as one of the faces of a given piece of franchise despite his limited screen time. He only stars in Game of Thrones season 1 and is only really a main character in Fellowship of the Ring, but is as inseparably linked to these two titles as much as any of the recurring cast.
Of course, his taking on the role of Boromir contributed to his legacy in the zeitgeist in more amusing ways – cementing his reputation as the “always dies” actor, and giving rise to the iconic viral “one does not simply…” meme. But all that aside, Bean is excellent in Fellowship of the Ring, including and especially during Boromir’s death scene.
When paired with Game of Thrones, one can see how Bean’s on-screen performances carry so much weight through depicting how the death of a family member or brother in arms shapes their loved ones for the rest of their lives. Like for everyone who starred in Lord of the Rings, a handful of emotional scenes will stick with Bean forever.
Our Take On Sean Bean As Aragorn
Bean certainly could have played Aragorn well; his other projects show how he can shine in the role of a more benevolent and absolute leader. The fact is that this is one of the series where no one is disputing the casting choices. Personally, I would be more interested in seeing Day-Lewis’ performance as Aragorn and comparing it to Viggo Mortensen’s in the final version of The Lord of the Rings.
- Created by
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J.R.R. Tolkien
- Cast
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Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
- Character(s)
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Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows