Cate Blanchett Nearly Played A Second Lord Of The Rings Character In The Hobbit

Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" opens with an unforgettable narration. Lady Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) speaks partly in Elvish before recounting the blood-soaked history of the One Ring, the rise and (supposed) fall of Sauron, and how the ring eventually found its way to the Shire. Blanchett's hypnotic voice immediately sets the tone for Jackson's interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, providing crucial context without sounding like an obligatory lore drop. Later on, Galadriel graciously hosts the titular Fellowship of the Ring and tests Frodo (Elijah Wood) while projecting a corrupted image of herself, which is easily one of the scariest scenes in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

While Galadriel gets limited screentime throughout Jackson's trilogy (and "The Hobbit" movies), we could've had a few extra minutes with Blanchett playing a second character in the franchise. Per Empire's latest anniversary issue for "The Lord of the Rings," Blanchett also wanted to play a Dwarf, but things didn't work out due to scheduling conflicts:

"When they were going to do 'The Hobbit', I called Pete [Jackson] up and said, 'Look, I know she's not in the book, but I'll just come and hang out and hold the script.' I went back for a week or so to do my little bit. Then I said, 'Can I play a Dwarf?' Pete said, 'Yeah: there's a feast scene, and I'm going to be in it, and you can be my wife.' I think I was in a play or something in Australia, and it couldn't happen. But it's so emblematic of Pete and his collaborators that if someone had had an idea, he would absolutely incorporate it."

It's a shame that the Dwarf cameo didn't happen, but Jackson's creative openness speaks volumes about the collaborative nature of his work.

Blanchett has mentioned this anecdote before, especially within the context of wanting to play yet another female character in a fantasy setting with predominantly male protagonists. The actor went on to explain this missed opportunity during an appearance on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast (via IndieWire):

"For me, it [the role] was super quick. There's not too many chicks in the Tolkien universe. I loved it so much, and I did say to Peter and Fran [Walsh], they were doing a banquet scene with a whole lot of dwarves. I always wanted to play the bearded lady, so I asked them, 'Could I be your hairy wife woman when you pan across the banquet table of dwarves?' Of course, I couldn't because the timing shifted [...] For me, Galadriel, it was just three weeks."

Now, it's hard to fault Jackson for condensing character arcs from the source material, given how daunting the endeavor of adapting such a beloved piece of literature was in the first place. To that end, "The Fellowship of the Ring" is arguably the best adaptation of the original "Lord of the Rings" books, despite its many flaws. 

It is also worth noting that Jackson's approach to the source material helped pave the path for distinct adaptations down the line, such as "The Rings of Power," which presents Galadriel as the kind of flawed female hero that more fantasy needs. While there's considerable discourse surrounding the television series' interpretation of the character, it dares to subvert expectations and imbue added complexity to Galadriel's evolving morality.

The only lamentable fact here is that we were robbed of a "Hobbit" feast scene with Jackson and Blanchett playing a Dwarf couple, which would've undoubtedly been glorious.