Vin Diesel's 'Very Compelling' Audition Almost Landed Him a LotR Role

And there is also no doubt that among the numerous stars who appeared in it, one who became the face of Fast & Furious is Vin Diesel, playing the role of Dominic Toretto in all of its installments. With Vin Diesel's probably second most famous role being that of Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick, he certainly has earned a reputation for playing hard-boiled action heroes.

But what if we told you that once upon a time he auditioned for movies of a completely different type?

Namely, Vin Diesel tried to get a role in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though he does not look the type, Vin Diesel actually loves fantasy, even its "nerdy" offshoots, like Dungeons & Dragons, so he was well-versed in Tolkien lore, when he attempted to audition for the role of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings.

Unfortunately – or, perhaps, fortunately – for him, Diesel's acting credentials at that moment were much more scant that his credentials as a fantasy fan. In fact, his only claims to fame back then were the indie movie Multi-Facial and a small role in Saving Private Ryan.

So whether because of that or because he wasn't naturally fit for the role, he got rejected quickly. It is said that Jackson called his performance "very compelling" but noted that he didn't "feel like Aragorn."

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Vin Diesel didn't seem to make it to the short list of actors whom Jackson really wanted to offer the role which went to Viggo Mortensen in the end, like Stuart Townsend and Russel Crowe.

Yet missing that role also was also a blessing for him. Instead he managed to land a role in the relatively low-budget and low-profile movie The Fast and the Furious, which released in the same year (2001) as The Fellowship of the Ring. And that movie became the beginning of a big franchise and of Vin Diesel's stardom. So in the end everything worked out for the best for everyone involved.