Jamie Dornan is heading to Middle-earth, and landing the role of Aragorn was apparently an emotional moment he couldn’t quite hold back.
The Fifty Shades of Grey star revealed that he “actually cried” when he found out he had been cast as the legendary ranger in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Dornan described the opportunity as “a dream” — and admitted he knows just how much the character means to fans.
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“It’s an absolute dream and an honour to be entering that world in any capacity, let alone playing a character of such significance and such admiration, and that we all love,” said Dornan.
“And I love what Viggo did with that role for those three films.”
Taking over a character previously brought to life by Viggo Mortensen is no small task. Dornan said he felt “incredibly honored” by the experience and had a “brilliant time” filming the project, which wrapped just weeks ago.
“It was an incredible experience, and I hope people welcome our story into that world because a lot of people care about it, and I really realize that,” he said with a laugh.
“Yeah, hopefully we’ve done a good job of it,” the actor added.
Directed by Andy Serkis, who also returns as Gollum, the film follows Aragorn and Gandalf as they search for the elusive creature between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Lee Pace are also returning, while Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall join the cast.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17, 2027.
