If the prospect of James Corden playing beloved Hobbit Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings fills you with dread, you're probably far from the only one, but it sounds like it did come fairly close to becoming a reality.
The actor/chat show host revealed that he auditioned for the role back when casting for Peter Jackson's trilogy was underway, and actually got two callbacks.
“Every single person in London auditioned for Lord of the Rings. Everybody,” Corden told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “I auditioned for Samwise. I was doing it! The accent and everything! ‘Mr Frodo!'”
“Two of my other friends went in,” Corden added, “and we all got called back the next day, and then we got called back the next day. And then none of us got called back after that!”
Sean Astin ended up landing the part, and did such a great job that many felt he was snubbed for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for The Return of the King. Corden, meanwhile, has appeared in the likes of Into the Woods, Ocean’s 8 and the disastrous Cats. While he is generally considered a decent enough actor, it's difficult to imagine him coming close to matching what Astin brought to the role.