Hugo Weaving's Elrond in Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Rings’ Hugo Weaving Played Two Roles Even the Biggest Fans Missed

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is up there in popculture royalty, with many a nerd able to quote even the most obscure lines from the epically long films, and actor Hugo Weaving is a big part of that. Many know him as the face of The Matrix’s Agent Smith, as well as the stoic and stern elf Elrond, but even the biggest fan would have missed this little-known fact about the actor.

Hugo Weaving and His Surprising Role

Hugo Weaving’s Elrond appears in five of the six films in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit franchises, and the character is a huge part of the story we’ve all come to know and love over the years. That said, beyond Elrond, many won’t know that Hugo Weaving played another role in the franchise, and it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Elrond is telling the soon-to-be-formed Fellowship about the origin stories of the Ring, and how Isildur (played by Harry Sinclair, Peter Jackson’s longtime friend, and actor), after taking the ring from Sauron, was quickly corrupted by the Ring’s influence. Of course, we all remember the volcanic visage of Isildur at Elrond at Mt. Doom, and how, after Elrond begged, Isildur refused to dispose of the Ring as they’d agreed with an ominous “No.”.

Harry Sinclair's Isildur holds the One Ring after defeating Sauron.
Harry Sinclair’s Isildur holds the One Ring after defeating Sauron. Image Credit: New Line Cinema.

Thanks to Harry Sinclair’s thick New Zealand accent, the man didn’t have the required gravitas the single-defying line required, and Peter Jackson called on Hugo Weaving to fill that void in post-production. That “No” you hear? That’s right, that’s Weaving.

Cinematically this works, as Elrond is telling a story to the Fellowship, so it’s more than just a post-production fix, but a thematic edit to boot.

For more Thumb Wars Film coverage, check out the new trailer from David Ayers latest film ‘A Working Man’, or how about some depressing films to alter your life view?

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