The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Frodo Baggins: A young hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo. Wood was the first actor to be cast on 7 July 1999. Wood was a fan of The Hobbit, and he sent in an audition dressed as Frodo, reading lines from The Lord of the Rings. Wood was selected from 150 actors who auditioned. Jake Gyllenhaal unsuccessfully auditioned for the role after his agency miscommunicated his direction to an American accent.

Elijah Wood

Gandalf the Grey: An Istari wizard and mentor to Frodo. Sean Connery was approached for the role, but did not understand the plot, while Patrick Stewart turned it down as he disliked the script. In 2026, Jackson stated that he is glad that Connery declined as he felt he wouldn't have the same chemistry as McKellen did. Patrick McGoohan was offered the role, but turned it down due to health issues. Anthony Hopkins and Christopher Plummer likewise turned down the role. Richard Harris expressed interest in the part. John Astin and David Bowie auditioned for Gandalf. Sam Neill was offered the role but declined due to his scheduling conflict with Jurassic Park III. Before being cast, McKellen had to sort his schedule with 20th Century Fox as there was a two-month overlap with X-Men. He enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than his transformed state in the next two films, and based his accent on a recording of Tolkien reading The Hobbit. Unlike his on-screen character, McKellen did not spend much time with the actors playing the Hobbits; instead he worked with their scale doubles.

Ian McKellen

Legolas: A prince of the elves' Woodland Realm and a skilled archer. Bloom initially auditioned for Faramir, who appears in the second film, a role which went to David Wenham.

Orlando Bloom

Aragorn: A Dúnedain ranger and heir to Gondor's throne. Daniel Day-Lewis was offered the part at the beginning of pre-production, but turned it down. Nicolas Cage received an offer but declined because of family obligations. Stuart Townsend was cast in the role, before being replaced during filming when Jackson realised he was too young. Russell Crowe was considered as a replacement, but he turned it down because he believed Jackson was not interested in casting him. Day-Lewis was offered the role for a second time, but declined again. Jason Patric too was considered. Executive producer Mark Ordesky saw Mortensen in a play. Mortensen's son, a fan of the book, convinced him to take the role. Mortensen read the book on the plane, received a crash course lesson in fencing from Bob Anderson and began filming the scenes on Weathertop. Mortensen became a hit with the crew by patching up his costume and carrying his "hero" sword around with him off-camera.

Viggo Mortensen

Samwise Gamgee: Better known as Sam, a hobbit gardener and Frodo's best friend. Astin, who had recently become a father, bonded with the 18-year-old Wood in a protective manner, which mirrored Sam's relationship with Frodo. Before Astin was cast, James Corden, Graham Norton, and Corey Feldman read for the part.

Sean Astin

Boromir: A son of the Stewards of Gondor who journeys with the Fellowship towards Mordor. Bean was initially considered for Aragorn. Bruce Willis, a fan of the book, expressed interest in the role, while Liam Neeson was sent the script, but passed.

Peregrin Took: Better known as Pippin, an extremely foolish hobbit who is a distant cousin of Frodo and travels with the Fellowship on their journey to Mordor.

Billy Boyd

Meriadoc Brandybuck: Better known as Merry, a distant cousin of Frodo. Monaghan was cast as Merry after auditioning for Frodo.

Dominic Monaghan

Gimli: A dwarf warrior who accompanies the Fellowship to Mordor after they set out from Rivendell. Billy Connolly, who was considered for the part of Gimli, later portrayed Dáin II Ironfoot in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy. Rhys-Davies wore heavy prosthetics to play Gimli, which limited his vision, and eventually he developed eczema around his eyes. Rhys-Davies also played Gimli's father Glóin during the scene where the fellowship is forged.

John Rhys-Davies

Arwen: An elf of Rivendell and Aragorn's lover. The filmmakers approached Tyler after seeing her performance in Plunkett & Macleane, and New Line Cinema leaped at the opportunity of having one Hollywood star in the film. Actress Helena Bonham Carter had expressed interest in the role. Tyler came to shoot on short occasions, unlike the rest of the actors. She was one of the last actors to be cast, on 25 August 1999.

Liv Tyler

Galadriel: The elven co-ruler of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn. Lucy Lawless was considered for the role, but turned it down as she was pregnant, she would later regret the decision.

Cate Blanchett