Hollywood is filled with stories of actors and actresses who tried out for roles that went to someone else. Harrison Ford has famously spoken about how he was not the first choice to play Han Solo in “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope.” The list of actors cycled through before he ended up in the role is a Who’s Who of stars from the 1970s. Safe to say, things would’ve felt very different if it had been anyone but Ford in the iconic part. The same could be said for the casting of a later franchise, “The Lord of the Rings.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone but Sean Astin in the role of Samwise Gamgee. But picture it being James Corden instead, because that could’ve happened.
Corden has been a somewhat divisive figure over the last several years. After taking over “The Late Late Show” from Craig Ferguson he became more of a household name in America, though he’d already made a name for himself in the UK via his show “Gavin & Stacey.” Combine this with “Doctor Who,” “Into the Woods,” and “Cats,” Corden cemented himself a place in popular culture.
So with all that in mind, you can anticipate the reactions across the internet when Corden revealed he auditioned for the role of Samwise Gamgee.
“Every single person in London auditioned for ‘Lord of the Rings.’ Everybody,” Corden said. “I auditioned for Samwise. I was doing it! The accent and everything! ‘Mr Frodo!’ Two of my other friends went in and we all got called back the next day, and then we got called back the next day. And then none of us got called back after that!”
Did the moviegoing world collectively dodge a bullet? How would things have turned out without Sean Astin? It’s an easy argument to make that Sam is the most beloved character due to his unwavering loyalty to Frodo. Astin somehow manages to embody the heart of friendship itself in a way that makes him relatable and inspiring. Sam is basically the friend that we all wish we had in our own lives as we see him brought to life by Astin’s performance. Is that something Cordon could’ve done? Well… maybe if Sam were driving Frodo to Mount Doom in a van while singing karaoke, yes. Other than that, we’re probably better off with Sean.
James Corden is set to leave “The Late Late Show” in 2023. A new host has yet to be named. Personally, several of us here at Nerdbot are hoping for a return of Craig Ferguson and his robot co-host, Geoff Peterson. As for Corden, as long as he can’t somehow retroactively replace Sean Astin in the LOTR trilogy, we wish him luck in his next venture.
