Jamie Dornan says 'I actually cried' over landing Aragorn role

Jamie Dornan said he cried after learning he would play Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," in an Entertainment Tonight interview clip posted Tuesday.

Dornan, whose credits include "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "The Tourist," inherits the role from Viggo Mortensen, who first played Aragorn. Aragorn is also called Strider and later becomes Gondor's king. Dornan said his work on the film had ended about three weeks before the interview.

"I cried. I actually cried," Dornan said.

Anthony Mackie looked on as Dornan described his reaction, A.V. Club reported. They were promoting "12 12 12," their Apple TV series.

Jamie Dornan literally cried when he found out he got his dream role of Aragorn in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.' 😭

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) November 10, 2026

Dornan described the part as a dream and an honor, with praise for Mortensen's portrayal throughout the three original films. "It's an absolute dream and an honor to be entering that world in any capacity, let alone playing a character of such significance and such admiration, and that we all love and love what Viggo did with that role in those three films," he said.

Dornan called the production an incredible experience. He felt "incredibly honored and had a brilliant time."

He hoped fans would embrace the film. "I hope people welcome our story into that world because a lot of people care about it, and I really realize that. But yeah, hopefully we've done a good job of it," Dornan said.

Dornan had previously discussed the pressure of succeeding Mortensen, telling L'Officiel in October 2026 that he did not intend to outdo him. "I've been asked to play a super iconic role, and I'll do my best. But for me, Aragorn will always be just Viggo," he told the magazine.

In that interview, Dornan called Mortensen's performance "one of my all-time favorites." He said, "There's no part of me that's trying to outdo him."

Mortensen passed on Warner Bros.' offer to return as Aragorn in April, A.V. Club reported.

Andy Serkis directs the film and reprises Gollum. For Peter Jackson's original trilogy, Serkis supplied the computer-generated character's voice and motion capture.

Earlier in 2026, Serkis told the BBC that the story "sits absolutely between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, and books in fact." He said it explores Gollum's past and Gandalf's question about where Bilbo Baggins' ring came from.

In those BBC remarks earlier in 2026, Serkis described the film as "very much a deep dive into the psychology and history of Gollum before he became Gollum." He added that "the hunt takes place in two different dimensions really and that's about as far as I can say at the moment."

Other actors are returning to their parts. Ian McKellen again plays Gandalf, Elijah Wood reprises Frodo and Lee Pace returns as Thranduil. Among the newcomers are Kate Winslet as Marigol, Leo Woodall as Halvard and Anya Taylor-Joy as an elf.

"The Hunt for Gollum" is scheduled for a theatrical release on Dec. 17, 2027.