Almost everyone in Hollywood has a story of a bad audition that either made them give up filmmaking or profoundly changed the way they approached future roles. So, you must be ready to get rejected if you want to be an actor.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, British actor Jake Gyllenhaal addressed his attempt to get the role of Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Even though he’s had many awful auditions, it seems like this was the worst one yet.
Jake Gyllenhaal Opens Up About His Terrible Lord of The Rings Audition Experience
Jake Gyllenhaal claims that his biggest failure in an audition happened while he was auditioning to get a role in The Lord of the Rings, one of the most well-known fantasy franchises of all time. Gyllenhaal had his heart set on playing Frodo Baggins, but Elijah Wood ultimately won that role.
The actor described how disastrous it was during a 2016 appearance on The Tonight Show. Gyllenhaal ended up having little chance of obtaining the role because he sucked during the audition so badly.
“I remember auditioning for The Lord of the Rings and going in and not being told that I needed a British accent,” he said.
Gyllenhaal received harsh criticism from the director, who even advised him to fire his agents, who hadn’t told him about the need for a British accent.
“He literally turned to me and said ‘You are the worst actor that I have ever seen’,” Gyllenhaal revealed during an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’.
However, Jake Gyllenhaal Bounced Back
Although it may have been embarrassing, Jake Gyllenhaal had the opportunity to learn which roles most suited his acting style.
He learned from his mistake and went on to have a successful career in movies including Donnie Darko, Zodiaz, Enemy, Nightcrawler, Prince of Persia, Love and Other Drugs, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
For his daring and celebrated performance in Brokeback Mountain, Gyllenhaal would be nominated for an Academy Award in just a few short years.
It’s prudent to believe that since his disastrous Frodo audition, his acting skills have sharply improved.
Source: YouTube
