The Lord of the Ringsstar Cate Blanchett shares how she almost made a surprising cameo inThe Hobbitas a different character. Following the massive success of the threeLord of the Ringsmoviesin the early 2000s, director Peter Jackson returned to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world of Middle-earth in 2012 with the release ofThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Serving as the first installment of three that tell the story of Tolkien’sThe Hobbitnovel, the film features Martin Freeman in the lead role as Bilbo Baggins, with Blanchett returning briefly as Galadriel.
During a recent appearance on theCondé Nast TravelerYouTube channel, Blanchett and herBlack Bagcostar Michael Fassbender discuss Blanchett’s time in Middle-earth. While reminiscing about filming one of theLord of the Ringsmovies,Blanchett reveals that she asked Jackson to return as a bearded dwarf for a cameo, in addition to her planned return as Galadriel. The cameo ultimately didn’t come about, and Blanchett reveals that her agent wasn’t too pleased with her request. Check out the exchange between Blanchett and Fassbender below:
Cate Blanchett: “I remember Viggo Mortensen and Pete, every Saturday, they would go out to battle the orcs. It was literally like they were gonna be playing rugby because they would have to shoot another sequence or a few frames of this battle, which would go on for, I think it was the third installment.
Michael Fassbender: “Because you filmed all three of them at the same time. That’s intense.”
Blanchett: “It was intense. I mean, I never battled the orcs, I was an elf. I am an elf.”
Fassbender: “Did you want to battle the orcs?”
Blanchett: “I did. I, actually, when they were doing The Hobbit, I said to Pete, ‘Look, I’ll just come back and I’ll be your hairy wife.’ He was going to be in a banquet sequence and I said, ‘I’ll come and play Galadriel for a few frames and then I’ll be one of the dwarves.’ But I wanted facial hair.”
Fassbender: “What did he say?”
Blanchett: “He said yes. Of course he said yes.”
Fassbender: “And you’re in it?”
Blanchett: “No, but then I had to go back. One of my kids…
Fassbender: “You were like, ‘I was joking.’
Blanchett: “No, I wasn’t! I wasn’t. My agent was not too happy, but I think a hirsute woman is a great thing.”
What Blanchett’s Cameo Would Have Meant For The Hobbit
The Lord Of The Rings Franchise Features A Number Of Surprising Cameos
If Blanchett had returned for a cameo as Jackson’s dwarven wife, it wouldn’t have been a franchise outlier. The threeLord of the Ringsmovies andThe Hobbittrilogyhave a handful of notable cameos. Jackson appears, for example, as Albert Dreary, a man eating a carrot, in the village of Bree inFellowship of the Ring(2001), buthe actually goes on to appear in every single one of his Middle-earth movies that followed in various other roles. He even reprises his role as Dreary for a brief shot inThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug(2013).
Henry Mortenson’s Two Lord Of The Rings Cameos Explained (& What Viggo’s Son Is Doing Now)
Filming the Lord of the Rings movies turned out to be a family affair for Viggo Mortenson, as his son, Henry Mortenson appears in two cameos.
Other notable cameos across the six films include family members of the director and stars, including relatives of Gollum actor Andy Serkis and Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen.Late night talk show host and notable Tolkien fan Stephen Colbert also appears brieflyas a spy inThe Desolation of Smaug. Most of these cameos won’t be noticeable to the average viewer, and it sounds like Blanchett’s wouldn’t have been either, due to the makeup and prosthetics she would have been wearing on her face.
Our Take On Blanchett’s Scrapped The Hobbit Cameo
How She Could Still Return To Middle-earth
Though an appearance from Blanchett as a hairy dwarf would have been a fun Easter egg inThe Hobbit, audiences do thankfully get to see her back in action as Galadriel. The regal elf actually gets to participate in an action sequence inThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies(2014), facing off briefly against Sauron at Gol Guldor in order to rescue Gandalf (Ian McKellen).
AfterThe Hobbittrilogy concluded, It seemed like Blanchett’s time as Galadriel had come to an end, especially since a younger version of Galadriel leads Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerTV show. With theannouncement ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, however, and the potential involvement of some original trilogy stars in this project, it’s possible Blanchett will get to return to Middle-earth once more. If not as Galadriel, it sounds like she could certainly make a fun cameo as a dwarf.
Andy Serkis will directThe Hunt for Gollum, with the film currently eying returns from McKellen and Mortensen. The movie was originally slated to release in 2026, but it’s now set for December 2027.
