Sean Connery turned down the role of Gandalf in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, losing out on nearly $450million dollars, it has been revealed.

The former James Bond actor was offered the part of Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy, which eventually went to Ian McKellen, but turned it down despite being offered $6million per film.

To add insult to injury, Connery was also tempted to join the cast with a 15% stake in the film franchise’s box office profits, meaning the 82-year-old actor lost out on a potential multi-million payday.


According to Brian Warner of Celebritynetworth.com, the Scottish actor said no to the role as he didn’t understand the part. “Even a veteran star like Sean can make a mistake so big that it ultimately causes him to lose out on a mind-blowing amount of money,” he said.

While Connery has never before revealed that he was offered the role as Gandalf, he has now admitted that he “never understood the script”, adding: “I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it. Ian McKellen, I believe, is marvellous in it.”

Meanwhile, Ian McKellen has revealed that he became so frustrated filming green screen scenes for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey that he burst into tears on set.

An Unexpected Journey gets its worldwide premiere in New Zealand on November 28 before opening in UK cinemas on December 14. You can watch the trailer by clicking at the bottom of the page.

Jackson’s second Hobbit film, The Desolation Of Smaug, will follow in December 2013, before the trilogy concludes with There And Back Again in July 2014. Alongside McKellen, the films star Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and boast an ensemble cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Bret McKenzie and Orlando Bloom.



