A couple weeks ago, we detailed the rich film career of David Bowie, from starring in 1975’s The Man Who Fell To Earth to his crucial role as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige 10 years ago. Today, though, it’s apparent that Bowie might have played a part in the most successful fantasy trilogy ever made.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Dominic Monaghan, who played the hobbit Merry in the Lord of the Rings series, reminisced on the day he auditioned for the role at Hubbard’s, a London casting agency. As he waited for feedback on his audition, he saw a familiar face walk in:
“As I was reading a magazine waiting, David Bowie came in and signed his little list and went in. And I’m assuming he read for Gandalf. I can’t think of anything else he would’ve read for. He may have read for something else, but I’m a huge David Bowie fan, and I was lucky enough to know his son now so just seeing him in person was pretty special to me.”
It’s hard to picture Bowie in waist-length gray beard and hair, but the man was the master of changing his appearance, so of course he would have pulled it off. Then again, he probably wasn’t stumping for Gandalf’s part; numerous web rumors claim that he was actually auditioning to play the elf Lord Elrond, but Peter Jackson turned him down because he thought Bowie was too famous for the part and would have overshadowed it. Still, we think he could have killed it. Sorry, Hugo Weaving.