FIFTEEN years ago today, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring hit cinemas in Australia and won over audiences around the globe.

Alongside the likes of Elijah Wood, Sir Ian McKellan and Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen became a household name in the franchise, playing hero Aragorn — but he was actually a last-minute substitute.

As it turns out, Nicolas Cage was first offered the role, but couldn’t sign on for the three-year work contract due to “family commitments.”

He told Newsweek his life at the time precluded him from “being able to travel and be away from home for three years.”

But despite missing out on being part of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, the actor insists it was for the best.

“The thing is about those [Lord of the Rings] movies, I can watch them. I can enjoy them as an audience member. I don’t really watch my own movies. And so I genuinely do have the joy of watching these — especially with Lord of the Rings.”

After Cage turned it down, the part was then passed on to Irish actor Stuart Townsend, who was cut at the eleventh hour.

He later explained: “I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began.”

That’s when director Peter Jackson finally approached Mortensen, who accepted the role at the urging of his son Henry, who was a big fan of the books.

And the rest, as they say, was history.

(If you’re still feeling nostalgic, check out Orlando Bloom’s recent tribute to Lord of the Rings.)