The Lord of the Rings: This actor is the only member of the franchise to have met Tolkien in real life

31 December 2020
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Long before being a huge star, this Lord of the Rings actor met Tolkien!

The most famous fantasy saga of all time has not finished telling us its secrets! The proof, twenty years after the cinema release of the first part of the franchise, its director Peter Jackson has only just revealed the name of her favorite scene in Lord of the Rings . But that's not all ! At random from a search, we learned that a key cast member had had the immense chance to meet the mythical writer in real life JRR Tolkien during his youth. Yes yes, you read that right! This is the actor Sir Christopher Lee, best known to fans of the trilogy as name of the famous magician Saroumane.

Christopher Lee dans le rôle de Saroumane dans Le Seigneur des Anneaux Christopher Lee dans le rôle de Saroumane dans Le Seigneur des Anneaux
Christopher Lee as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings – Credit (s): New Line Productions

It's an amazing anecdote! In the years 50, the actor who was a big fan of the literary saga crossed the path of the famous writer, in an English pub in the city of Oxford often frequented by Tolkien. A vivid memory he told the magazine Empire : “ We were sitting down talking while drinking beer and someone said, 'Oh look who's there.' It was the writer Tolkien and I almost fell off my chair. I didn't even know he was alive. He looked benevolent, smoking his pipe, a country Englishman with his feet on the ground. He was a genius, a man of incredible intelligence. And he knew someone in our group. My friend the called and he came. I just couldn't believe it. I will never forget him “ . And the story does not end there! Tolkien then gave him his blessing to play Gandalf, although Christopher Lee would eventually lend his features to his nemesis, Saruman. Also check out these amazing details about the three elven rings that only true fans of the Lord of the Rings know .