The Aragorn Casting That Almost Went Wrong When casting The Lord of the Rings, director Peter Jackson initially chose Stuart Townsend to play Aragorn—so much so that he filmed for a full day in costume. But the fit wasn’t right, and with production already underway, Jackson made a last-minute call to Viggo Mortensen. Encouraged by his son, Viggo said yes, flew to New Zealand within days, and turned the role into one of the most iconic performances in modern movie history. | Did You Catch This?