25 Years Later, Lord of the Rings Star Confirms a Major Change to Their Character Cut Them From Key Scenes

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It’s been 25 years since the first Lord of the Rings film, The Fellowship of the Ring, launched Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy, and the cast and crew are now sharing memories of making the movies. One actor revealed a surprising detail: they were originally meant to have a much larger role. Unfortunately, scenes featuring them were cut, even though they filmed key moments like the Battle of Helm’s Deep, ultimately resulting in a smaller part than planned.

Liv Tyler plays Arwen in the Lord of the Rings movies. Arwen is crucial in The Fellowship of the Ring, rescuing Frodo from the Ringwraiths and getting him to safety. However, her role is largely as a romantic partner for Aragorn, which is consistent with J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. In an interview with Empire magazine, Tyler revealed that this wasn’t initially the plan for the films.

The actress explained that early drafts of the Lord of the Rings movies gave her character, Arwen, a much larger role in Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring. She noted that Arwen wasn’t featured heavily in the original books, but initially, she was intended to be part of the Fellowship and even fight in the battle at Helm’s Deep.

The final films are quite different from what was originally planned. Arwen doesn’t have much action after The Fellowship of the Ring, although her powerful confrontation with the Nazgûl hinted at her potential. It’s especially frustrating to learn that scenes were filmed, but ultimately cut. The actress explained that Arwen’s role was rewritten several times, so she focused on maintaining the core elements of the character that survived all the changes.

I was with Viggo and the whole cast, and it was incredibly difficult. It was a really tough experience, and honestly, it didn’t quite come together as we’d hoped. Things shifted a lot over the three years we worked on it. Because the script wasn’t always solid, I focused on portraying Arwen’s unwavering love and stability as a way to connect with the role.

The Lord of the Rings Movies Cutting Arwen Is Disappointing, But It Makes Sense

Arwen is a compelling character in The Lord of the Rings, and it’s a shame her story wasn’t fully developed. Her initial appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring is memorable, and it’s easy to see how her presence could have been expanded throughout The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Ultimately, though, the decision to give her a smaller role makes sense for a few key reasons.

Staying true to Tolkien’s original story, Arwen works best as a subtly powerful figure in the background. Practically speaking, adding more to her role would have made the already long films even longer, and it’s hard to imagine how they could have fit it in. Expanding Arwen’s part could also have distracted Aragorn from his crucial task: helping Frodo destroy the Ring. So, while it’s interesting to consider, the way things played out was probably the right choice—though I’d still love to see an extended version with more Arwen!

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2026-01-26 21:11