“I think everyone had more than enough of it”: Absurd Reason Hugo Weaving Refused to Return to Lord of the Rings, Admitted He Was Done With $5.85B Franchise
Hugo Weaving, the acclaimed star from Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has made significant contributions to the world of cinema with his involvement in various prominent films. Notable among these are The Hobbit, V For Vendetta, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger released in 2011, Matrix, and his remarkable voice acting, which includes lending his voice to Megatron in the Transformers series.
In a recent interview, the accomplished British actor opened up about his decision to not reprise his role in the Lord of the Rings series. Hugo Weaving candidly discussed the reasons behind his choice, shedding light on his perspective regarding the matter.
Hugo Weaving’s resilience to return to the Lord of the Rings
Hugo Weaving, a distinguished recipient of the Australian Academy of Cinema Award, assumed the role of Elrond, the half-elf leader, in both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film franchises. Together, these franchises collected a staggering worldwide revenue of approximately $5.85 billion.
Presently, an Amazon-produced show is in the works, aiming to make a reprise of the epic saga. Known for his selective project choices, the actor has consistently displayed selectivity throughout his career.
Also read: Famous TV Shows That Secretly Featured Popular DC Actors
During a recent telephonic interview with Variety magazine, Hugo Weaving was posed with the question of whether he would consider reprising his role as Elrond in the upcoming Amazon series. In response, he offered a candid statement:
“No way. No,”
Furthermore, Weaving expressed that, for once, he would be open to revisiting another beloved role of his – the antagonist Agent Smith from The Matrix – but would never think of returning to the realm of the Lord of the Rings.
“‘Matrix’ might have happened. But ‘Lord of the Rings,’ no, I would never — I’m not interested in that at all. Look, I loved being in New Zealand with all those great people, and it was like going back to a family but, to be honest, I think everyone had more than enough of it.”
He conveyed his fondness for New Zealand, the filming location, but noted that he wanted to do more movies in his home country.
Also read: Matrix 4: Is Jonathan Groff Playing Agent Smith?
“I’m not saying ‘no’ [to those kinds of tentpole films] because I’m sort of open to anything. But I suppose my interests have always lay with this country and trying to find really interesting projects out here. That’s my primary focus.”
He sensed that audiences might have reached their saturation point played into his decision not to participate.
Also read: V For Vendetta: 18 Lesser Known Facts That You Didn’t Know About
Hugo Weaving on his future projects
Following his rejection of the roles in iconic franchises like The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, he displayed a strong affirmation to reject the offer to reprise his role of Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger. He has consistently emphasized his belief that a storyline must be captivating enough to hold his attention.
“They have to be something really interesting, with a different twist to make me really keen to do it.”
Moreover, recently, the veteran actor made an appearance in Paul Ireland’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, Measure for a Measure. This modern take on the classic play is set in a subsidized housing development in Melbourne.
The film is released on VOD on September 4th.
Source: Variety
