Russell Crowe Reveals Why He Turned Down Two Major Movie Roles

Russel Crowe is one of the biggest Hollywood stars in the movie industry. However, like so many in show business, he has had several near misses when it comes to movies.

Hollywood is full of stories of actors turning down roles that ended up becoming magnificent roles and generated sizable amount of cash. Crowe has a few of those stories himself. The Aussie heartthrob recently stopped by The Howard Stern Show, where he shared two major movie roles he turned down.

Crowe passed on the opportunity to play Aragorn, in the Lord of the Rings films. Although it was a sizable payday, roughly 10% of the movie overall grossed earnings. The actor had a great reason for saying no.

.@russellcrowe tells @HowardStern about the time he bought a dinosaur head from @LeoDiCaprio. “There was a bunch of vodka involved in that transaction,” he recalls. pic.twitter.com/uGmuJhFhdx

— Stern Show (@sternshow) June 19, 2019

“Because I didn’t think Peter Jackson actually wanted me on the film. Because I think he was forced into talking to me because there was a moment in time when everybody wanted me in everything and he’s a fellow New Zealander and so I can hear his voice. I’m talking to him on the phone and it’s like, I didn’t think he even knows what I’ve done and I just knew that my instinct was that he had somebody else in mind, which turned out to be Viggo and he should be allowed to hire the actor that he wants,” the actor revealed.

The only regret Crowe has about passing on the film is the missed payday. Otherwise, he believes it worked out well and that Viggo Mortenson was the right choice.

Hugh Jackman is fantastic as Wolverine, but the role almost went to Crowe. He admitted to Howard Stern at one point he was offered the part. However, the talented man knew he could not bring to the role what Jackman did and ended up suggesting Jackman for the mega movie.

Though @russellcrowe was made a lucrative offer to star in #LordOfTheRings, he turned down the role because of something he heard in director Peter Jackson's voice, he tells @HowardStern.

Watch the FULL interview on the @SIRIUSXM app! pic.twitter.com/IUHqtwrnnt

— Stern Show (@sternshow) June 20, 2019

“There’s no way I would have ever done that. Even if I’d done the film, I wouldn’t have carried it through with the grace and the direction that Hugh gave it,” Crowe explained.

Russell Crowe knows when it is right to walk away from movie roles, even though the films could be life-changing. He does not regret passing on Lord of the Rings or Wolverine. The actor truly believes the best men were brought to those roles.

Could you image Crowe as Wolverine or Aragorn?