Russell Crowe gave a new interview where he explained why he turned down the role of Aragorn in «The Lord of the Rings.»

In an interview with GQ journalists, the star of «Gladiator» confessed that he had negotiations with the showrunners of the project, but ultimately did not manage to join the cast.

«It seemed to me that the decision was made by the studio, not the director. I spoke with Peter Jackson on the phone, but he didn’t say all the things that directors usually say when they really want to attract an actor to a project. I got the impression that he already had someone else in mind, and if I agreed, I would just get in the way,» the actor explained.

He believes that the director did not cast him due to their shared background. «We’re from the same place. We’re both New Zealanders. There were certain nuances in his speech that other people might not have noticed. I understood that he had his own plan, although he didn’t say it out loud. So I just left it as it was,» Crowe elaborated.

By the way, earlier, Internet users did not recognize Russell Crowe in new photos on social media. How does the actor look now?