Mortensen thought that he had secured the role after an audition, but it wasn’t exactly the case!

Viggo Mortensen found worldwide fame and love for portraying the role of Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. But before he found fame as Isildur’s heir, Mortensen had another important role at hand in 1986!

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in a still from The Lord of the Rings franchise | New Line Cinema

Before he became the famous actor that he is today, Mortensen auditioned for the role of Sergeant Elias in the 1986 film titled Platoon. Despite being selected for the role, Mortensen found that Willem Dafoe had replaced him in the lead role in quite a terrible fashion!

Viggo Mortensen Assumed That He Got The Role!

The film was directed by William Oliver Stone and during that time, he was in need of a producer who could produce his film. Based on an American volunteer who gets thrown into the chaos of the Vietnam War, Platoon was a one-of-a-kind film and Viggo Mortensen wanted to be in on it.

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Willem Dafoe in Platoon (1986) | Hemdale Film Corporation

In a recent interview with The Independent, The Lord of the Rings actor sat down for a chat and reflected upon his career. During his talks, the actor mentioned he was selected for the role of Sergeant Elias in the 1986 film Platoon.

However, it wasn’t until a year later when Mortensen found out in one of the worst ways that rising star Willem Dafoe had been cast in the role instead!

I auditioned on video tape and I got the role that eventually Willem Dafoe ended up playing. I assumed I had that role. I kept saying, ‘When are we shooting?’ [Stone] said, ‘Well, we have to raise the rest of the money.’ Nobody told me it wasn’t happening, so I spent a year reading every possible thing about Vietnam.

He further continued,

I even thought, ‘Can I join the army for a short while?’ I got as much experience as I could. I really filled notebooks. I had this character – I was ready, you know? And then one day I read in the newspaper, ‘Oliver Stone’s making this movie with Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe.’

And that is how Viggo Mortensen lost out on the role of Sergeant Elias. Well, the actor eventually moved on and joined director Peter Jackson on the adventurous journey through Middle-Earth with the role of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings franchise.

Recent articles and speculations suggest that a new film based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books is in the works. The film, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will star veteran actor Andy Serkis as Gollum but will Viggo Mortensen return to his role?

Will Viggo Mortensen Return As Aragorn?

Andy Serkis is a veteran actor known for portraying and voicing the role of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchise. The actor is slated to direct and star in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum but the news does not stop there.

Viggo Mortensen as Aragon in a still from the Lord of the Rings trilogy | New Line Cinema

In an interview with GQ, Mortensen was asked whether he would like to return to the role of Aragorn in the upcoming film if given the chance. Taking things in a positive manner, Mortensen had nothing but good remarks for the role and stated that he’d love to return to the franchise!

Sure. I don’t know exactly what the story is, I haven’t heard. Maybe I’ll hear about it eventually. I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot.

He further continued,

I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise.

Well, the world would indeed love to see Viggo Mortensen return to the role of Aragorn in the upcoming film. However, the actor had a similar reason for denying a chance in The Hobbit franchise. Since Aragorn wasn’t present in the original book of The Hobbit, Mortensen revealed that he was asked to reprise his role but he denied it to preserve the originality of the novels.

On the other hand, The Hunt for Gollum involved the character of Aragorn searching extensively for Gollum. So there could be a soft possibility that Mortensen might return to the beloved role after all!

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released in theatres in 2026.