Lord Of The Rings: The Character Nick Offerman Auditioned For

Nick Offerman was almost in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, getting all the way to the audition process, however, the actor ultimately missed out on the role. Adapting J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth fantasy novels was a lofty undertaking; it took Jackson around eight years to figure the project out but, when he finally did, his Lord of the Rings films shattered all sorts of records to become one of the most acclaimed trilogies of all-time. The films were of an unprecedented scale and pushed the boundaries of what cinematic storytelling could achieve through special effects and jaw-dropping action.

There are several dozen key characters across all three of Tolkien’s books, as well as many secondary ones, each significant to the overarching story in their own ways. Jackson wanted to ensure his ensemble was right so his casting process was difficult and prolonged and his Lord of the Rings cast was almost different entirely. One particular actor that championed to be in New Line Cinema’s epic adaptation was Nick Offerman. The actor, best known for his role in Parks and Recreation, has revealed that he desperately wanted to feature in Jackson’s trilogy and pursued the film rather forcefully given his love for the source material.

Offerman has spoken on how he constantly wrote to Jackson to try to get a role in the film. When on BuzzFeed, Offerman had the following to say: “I wrote dogged letters for a couple of years to Peter Jackson, asking him to audition me to play Samwise Gamgee.” However, it seems as though it was to no avail as Jackson never wrote back. Despite this, Offerman did get an opportunity to audition for a part in the films – though it wasn’t for Samwise. During his appearance on First We Feast, Offerman talked about how he was eventually able to audition for Gimli the dwarf. He said, “I eventually, through the normal channels, made it to where they called me in to put me on tape reading for the role of Gimli the dwarf.”

As Offerman goes on to note, of course, he didn’t get the role, though he doesn’t give too much detail on the audition itself. Gimli the dwarf was eventually portrayed by John Rhys-Davies, who Offerman jokingly referred to as “some jerk British guy, a first timer” in the BuzzFeed interview. Gimli had a crucial role throughout the novels and Jackson’s movies, often providing a lot of comedic relief and some of the franchise’s most memorable quotes. The role of Samwise Gamgee, meanwhile, ended up going to Sean Astin. Sam was a noble character who had plenty of heartwarming moments throughout the trilogy.

For Offerman, Samwise was the best part of Tolkien’s books – and why he chased the role so intensely. While Offerman would have admittedly been great in either role, both Astin and Rhys-Davies gave such iconic performances in their respective roles that it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing them. Lord of the Rings was such a coveted film for any actor so it’s no wonder Nick Offerman wanted to be a part of the action. It’s a shame he missed out though, especially considering he came so close to actually portraying Gimli the dwarf in Peter Jackson’s trilogy.

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