The Big Picture
- Uma Thurman turned down the role of Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings films because she had just had her first child and didn't want to move to New Zealand for several years of filming.
- Thurman regrets not being in Lord of the Rings and considers it one of the worst decisions she ever made, despite her understandable reasons for turning down the role.
- Turning down the role of Éowyn worked out well for Thurman, as she went on to star in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill franchise, and her daughter, Maya Hawke, has become a successful actress in her own right. Miranda Otto ultimately played Éowyn and brought the character to life with grace and dignity.
The list of actors and actresses who almost starred in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is long and star-studded. From Sean Connery as Gandalf to Nicolas Cage as Aragorn, many recognizable names were in the running for starring roles in Peter Jackson's fantasy epic. One of the more notable cases was that of Uma Thurman, who could have played the role of Éowyn: the noblewoman turned shieldmaiden of Rohan who appears in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Unlike Connery, who rejected Gandalf for lack of understanding of the source material, or Jake Gyllenhaal, who lost his Frodo aspirations with a notoriously bad audition, Thurman was properly offered the role, but regrettably turned it down for nonetheless honorable purposes.
Why Uma Thurman Turned Down the Role of Éowyn in the 'Lord of the Rings' Films
Thurman appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2017 to promote her show, Impostor. Before the discussion could get going though, Colbert had to satisfy his outwardly Tolkien nerd by asking his guest about a rumor he just heard. He needed to know if Thurman had indeed turned down Éowyn. And if so, why? As the befuddled Colbert jokingly proclaimed, "I would have played Éowyn!"
The actress took the remark with modesty and humor, affirming that Colbert would have done great in the part. Nevertheless, she continued to explain that she rejected the role because she had just had her first child and was feeling "housebound." Such terminology is a massive understatement. Because the three Lord of the Rings films were made back-to-back in Jackson's home country of New Zealand, production required the cast and crew to move to the Oceanic country for several years to complete the project. As Colbert knowingly quipped, "You didn't want to drag your child down to New Zealand for three years?" Tongue-in-cheek, Thurman replied, "Yeah, that was a little unknown for me."
Uma Thurman Regrets Not Being in 'Lord of the Rings'
Despite the admirable rationale of raising her first child, Thurman concluded that not being in Lord of the Rings was a definite regret. In fact, she prefaced the entire story by stating that she considers the choice "one of the worst decisions ever made." This feeling seems natural, as The Lord of the Rings became such a critical, commercial, and cultural success from the moment The Fellowship of the Ring first hit theaters in December of 2001.
However, her public regret further distinguishes her from other would-be Lord of the Rings cast members. Perhaps all of them are kicking themselves in private, but Sean Connery never expressed public remorse for rejecting Gandalf; Nic Cage told People that he too turned down the trilogy for the sake of spending time with his family, but he doesn't seem sorry for it; and Liam Neeson was offered to play Boromir, but according to Yahoo Newson the Lord of the Rings' twentieth anniversary, the Qui-Gon Jinn actor wasn't interested in playing yet another character who was killed off in the first installment of a new trilogy. Thurman is thus one of the few actors who still openly wishes she had taken the offer.
Turning Down 'Lord of the Rings' Allowed Uma Thurman To Star in 'Kill Bill'
While Thurman may show some regret for not playing Éowyn, no one can blame her for her decision. Ultimately, it may have actually ended up in her favor. While The Lord of the Rings was filming in New Zealand, Thurman got to star in her own blockbuster franchise stateside. Quentin Tarantino — whom Thurman previously worked with on Pulp Fiction in 1994 — cast her as the lead role in Kill Bill. Though envisioned as a single film, Kill Bill and Kill Bill: Vol 2 released in 2004 and 2005, respectively. The two films have since raked in well over $300 million dollars, and Thurman's performance as the revenge-driven nameless Bride has become her most iconic role. Had she been slicing up Nazgûl for Jackson, she never would have been able to slice up ninjas for Tarantino.
As intended, turning down Éowyn also seemed to do well by Thurman's child. Born in 1998 to Thurman and then-husband Ethan Hawke, the aforementioned child has since grown up to be a star herself. Today, Maya Hawke is best known for playing Robin Buckley in Stranger Things and has appeared in Asteroid City and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood among other high profile projects. Had she spent her formative years in New Zealand, away from her mother, or surrounded by the world of Middle Earth, who knows what might have happened? All that's certain is that she's become a wonderful actress with the background she was given.
Miranda Otto Triumphantly Takes Over Éowyn in the 'Lord of the Rings' Films
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As for Lord of the Rings, the role of Éowyn eventually went to Australian actress Miranda Otto. Skilled, confident, and distinguished in her craft, Otto brought the shieldmaiden to life with grace and dignity. Working with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens' script, Otto even elevated Éowyn from the book, making her the series' strongest female character. Despite women not serving as soldiers across most of Middle Earth, Éowyn disguises herself in Return of the King to fight in the Battle of the Pelennor Field. Few moments are as cheer-worthy as when the Witch-King says no man can kill him, just for Éowyn to remove her helmet and proclaim "I am no man" before fatally stabbing him in the face.
True, we could easily imagine Uma Thurman playing this same scene to similar effect. However, Otto took ownership over her role, and as it's gone with most of the characters in Lord of the Rings, Éowyn now feels inextricable from Otto. Just as the Bride feels inextricable from Thurman, or Robin Buckley from Hawke. While the behind-the-scenes story of The Lord of the Rings movies is filled with what-ifs and could-have-beens — and Uma Thurman's Éowyn is among the more intriguing of them — all can rest assured that the definitive casting worked out for everyone.
