As a general rule, being a part of The Lord of the Rings franchise is a pretty good career move. Each entry in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy has a legitimate case for being among the very best movies of all time. So, you can imagine Uma Thurman’s regret at turning down a role in the films.
The Lord of the Rings cast is full of incredible talent. You can’t watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order without spotting some A-lister dressed as an elf or a wizard, and chances are a lot of those faces were made famous by this collection of the best fantasy movies.
Uma Thurman could have been one of those stars, had she chosen to help destroy the One Ring when she was offered the chance to play the Lord of the Rings character, Éowyn.
In an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert back in 2017, the topic was raised as to why Thurman turned down the opportunity to play Éowyn.
Turns out, Thurman had just given birth to her first child, none other than Stranger Things actor Maya Hawke, in 1998. With the production of the Lord of the Rings movies taking place in Peter Jackson’s native New Zealand, Thurman didn’t fancy uprooting her family and heading into the “unknown” for three years, instead deciding to remain “housebound.”
The actor admitted she did regret not appearing in the films, though, and described it as “one of the worst decisions ever made.” But, something good did come out of the decision, aside from memories with her daughter, of course. By not being tied down to Jackson’s epic trilogy, Thurman was able to star in two of the best 2000s movies, as part of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films.
All’s well, that ends well, and besides, Miranda Otto did an incredible job playing Éowyn anyway. Now, let’s look to the future of Middle-earth and find out about the new Lord of the Rings movie, the Lord of the Rings War of Rohirrim release date, and the Rings of Power season 2 release date. Or, if you prefer a little more sex and violence in your fantasy stories, here’s what we know about House of the Dragon season 2. Speaking of, here’s the answer to the age-old question, who is bigger, Smaug or Balerion?