15 Stars Who Were Replaced in Major Movies

13. Stuart Townsend – ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

A lot goes into bringing a film to life, and many actors and actresses spend months or even years training for their roles. When Stuart Townsend was cast as Aragorn II Elessar in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, he spent two months in intensive combat and swordsmanship training. Sadly, the director, Peter Jackson, thought he looked too young to play such a mature role, so he was replaced by Viggo Mortensen the day before filming began. Ouch.

Townsend later went on the record to say, “I have no good feelings for those people in charge, I really don’t. The director [Peter Jackson] wanted me and then apparently thought better of it because he really wanted someone 20 years older than me and completely different.”