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It is hard to imagine anyone other than Ian McKellen as Gandalf, the wise wizard of The Lord of the Rings. But before McKellen took the role, it was reportedly offered to one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history: Sean Connery.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Connery was offered $30 million to play Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. To convince him, the producers reportedly added the incentive of 15% of the films’ box office earnings.
The offer reflected Connery’s status in Hollywood at the time. He was the first actor to play James Bond on the big screen and led hits such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. By the late 1990s, he was still one of the most respected and bankable actors in the world, and in 2000 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
How much money he left on the table
The three movies went on to earn about $2.98 billion at the global box office. A 15% share would have been worth roughly $447 million, which is why the decision is often described as one of the most expensive “no’s” in Hollywood history.
Connery’s reason was simple: he didn’t understand the story.
Why did Sean Connery say no to playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings?
“I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it,” he said years later, according to The New Zealand Herald. Even so, he praised the actor who took the part: “Ian McKellen, I believe, is marvelous in it.”
Gandalf wasn’t the only famous part Connery declined. According to Far Out Magazine, he also turned down the role of John Hammond in Jurassic Park and the Architect in The Matrix sequels, in both cases because he couldn’t connect with the material.
Instead, he starred in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), which was poorly received by critics. It became his last live-action film role.