Malibu, Daenerys Studios.
Nicole Kidman, accompanied by an assistant, had just stepped out of her car in the administrative parking lot when Linda Vagos approached her.
The two women exchanged warm hugs and greetings before Linda walked alongside Nicole toward Building One. "Nicole, I was really surprised when you agreed to play the role of Galadriel. But honestly, I think you're absolutely perfect for it."
"Actually, I feel the same way, Linda. To be frank, I went through the list of other Hollywood actresses and realized no one else fits the role better than I do. If someone else took it and messed it up, it would feel like I messed it up too. So, of course, I had to take it myself."
"Haha, I can only say you won't regret this decision. You have to trust Simon's vision. He spent $10 million just to acquire the rights to The Lord of the Rings."
"Of course."
As they chatted, they entered the building.
While waiting for the elevator, Nicole asked, "What's Simon up to right now?"
"Funny you should ask. He's actually holding auditions for your 'granddaughter.'"
Nicole immediately caught on. "Arwen?"
"Yes," Linda said as they stepped into the elevator. "It seems that while Galadriel was an easy choice for you, Simon is having a hard time deciding who should play Arwen. He's not sure who's the best fit, so he's personally overseeing the auditions today."
Nicole nodded, her emotions mixed.
The two were discussing the highly publicized casting for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The reason it was making waves was because Daenerys Entertainment had officially launched its promotional campaign.
After Peter Jackson completed post-production for The Frighteners at the end of last year, the Lord of the Rings trilogy had been secretly greenlit. Over the past several months, Jackson had been leading a team in Australia, working on the script, scouting locations, creating demo animations, and tackling special effects solutions.
All this pre-production work was completed and approved by Simon at the beginning of the month, and casting had officially begun.
As a fantasy series comparable to the Western Journey to the West, the start of casting marked the beginning of actual production. Daenerys Entertainment had also launched the first phase of its promotional campaign. Given the massive investment in the trilogy, it was essential to generate buzz and keep the audience engaged long before the films' release.
As for Nicole Kidman...
In the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, male characters like Gandalf, Frodo, and Legolas were all well-cast, with the exception of Agent Smith. How could an elf, even if not as handsome as Lee Pace, be so unattractive?
Therefore, aside from Hugo Weaving, the other male roles would largely remain the same as in the original.
As for the two key female roles—Cate Blanchett's Galadriel and Liv Tyler's Arwen—Simon planned to recast both.
Cate Blanchett was an actress Simon admired, but she fell short in terms of looks.
Simon had long since decided on Nicole Kidman as the new Galadriel.
Compared to Cate, Nicole in her prime during the 1990s was perfect for the role.
However, there was a problem.
Nicole's current market value was high, with her commercial film fees starting at $5 million.
If paid according to her usual rate, even with a slight discount, her fee for the trilogy would easily reach the tens of millions, which far exceeded the project's budget.
After all, The Lord of the Rings had dozens of named characters, and Simon's strategy was to cast mostly second- and third-tier actors, or even newcomers.
As a result, many key roles, such as Orlando Bloom's Legolas and Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn, had already been negotiated with no fixed salary. Instead, they would be paid weekly wages like regular crew members. Bloom, despite his later fame, was only set to earn $2,000 per week under his contract.
This casting strategy ensured that the majority of the budget would be spent on the actual production of the films.
Why was the original Lord of the Rings trilogy so high-quality, with special effects that even many modern blockbusters couldn't match? The fact that it didn't feature any big-name stars siphoning off the budget was a key reason.
Simon had initially considered dropping Nicole altogether but later asked Linda to test the waters.
He didn't get personally involved, making it clear that it was up to her whether she wanted the role or not.
Simon had only offered $5 million for the entire trilogy, with no backend deals or promises of an Oscar like the one she had been offered for L.A. Confidential.
At an average of just over $1.6 million per film, this was far below Nicole's usual rate. However, if she accepted, she would still be the highest-paid actor in the trilogy, and her star power would remain unmatched.
Nicole had hesitated, taking two weeks to finally agree.
She was willing to take the role.
Simon didn't delve into her thought process, simply arranging for her to come in for a costume test today.
Arriving on the floor dedicated to The Lord of the Rings, Nicole and Linda didn't head straight to the makeup room. Instead, they quietly entered an audition room where a tryout was in progress.
The two women stood silently behind a few staff members, watching a man and woman in period costumes performing.
The dark-haired woman playing Arwen spoke with deep emotion and reassurance: "Your fate is different from his."
"But I share his blood," the man said, slowly turning to face her. "We share the same weaknesses."
Arwen stepped forward, her tone both comforting and prophetic: "When that day comes, you will face the same evil, but you will overcome it."
At this point, Arwen switched to another language, continuing her prophetic murmurs.
Nicole glanced at Linda in confusion.
"That's the Elvish language the team designed specifically for the film. You'll have to learn it too. Also, this is a scene where Arwen is comforting Aragorn, who's in self-imposed exile," Linda explained before asking, "What do you think of them?"
Nicole whispered, "The baby fat is too obvious."
Linda also smiled, looking at the actress named Charlize Theron. Although her profile listed her as 22 years old, the noticeable baby fat did detract from her presence. For the role of Arwen, presence was crucial. Additionally, based on Linda's years of casting experience, the actress didn't suit black hair, which made her appear somewhat cold.
Arwen was a half-elf with black hair.
Elves were supposed to be noble, elegant, approachable yet untouchable.
Aside from the baby fat, which could potentially be addressed later, Charlize Theron had initially seemed like a good fit for an elf's presence when Linda had seen her with blonde hair. However, with her hair dyed black and in full costume today, there was a certain dissonance.
After the scene ended, Simon and Peter Jackson exchanged a few words with the actors before asking Charlize to perform a solo piece. Nearly fifteen minutes passed before the two men, seated at a long table, began discussing in low voices.
Linda waited for a moment, then approached with Nicole during a lull in their conversation. Simon noticed Nicole and greeted her before asking, "How's L.A. Confidential going?"
Nicole replied, "It's going well. It's a pretty complex role."
Simon was just being polite, as he was too busy to chat for long. After a brief exchange, he said, "Go get into costume. Peter and I will check out the look later."
Nicole, now a bona fide A-lister with the attitude to match on set, didn't dare show any of that in front of Simon. She obediently left the audition room to get ready.
Simon continued with the auditions.
After Charlize Theron, there were two more candidates: Trish Goff and Jennifer Connelly.
Over the past few weeks, aside from these final three, actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Mia Sara, and Uma Thurman had also vied for the role. These were the final contenders.
Each of the next two actresses spent over half an hour auditioning.
Each had their strengths and weaknesses.
Charlize Theron had the best presence and acting skills, but aside from the baby fat, she didn't suit black hair.
Trish Goff, a model by trade, had the perfect look and presence, and black hair suited her well. However, she had zero chemistry with Viggo Mortensen, and her baby face made her look more like his daughter than his love interest.
Jennifer Connelly, a natural brunette, was the first to be eliminated after her audition.
She was simply too beautiful—so beautiful it was distracting.
While Charlize Theron and Trish Goff were both stunning, if they were in the 80-point range, Jennifer Connelly was a 90-plus knockout.
Sometimes, being too beautiful was a curse.
For Hollywood actresses to achieve major success, there was an unspoken rule about looks: the baseline beauty score had to be between 70 and 80. This allowed them to either glam up to 80 or even 90 points or tone it down to 70 or even 60 when needed.
The key was to have a baseline beauty that was approachable and didn't distract from the story.
Examples included Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie, Julianne Moore, and even the youngest Oscar winner, Jennifer Lawrence. As for actresses like Charlize Theron, who were above 80 points, they often had to deliberately "uglify" themselves for roles, as Theron did in Monster and later in Mad Max: Fury Road as Furiosa.
In short, it was tough for actresses outside the 70-to-80 range to break through.
That said, Galadriel and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy were rare roles that required actresses who could reach 80 or even 90 points when fully made up. Jennifer Connelly had made it to the final three for this reason. The fact that her beauty was too distracting ultimately came down to her acting not being strong enough.
In the end, Simon and Jackson debated between Charlize and Trish.
Simon leaned slightly toward Trish Goff, whom he had personally mentored over the past few years. From The Man from Earth to last year's hit Jumanji, her career had steadily risen, and her acting had improved.
Moreover, in Simon's mind, an elf should look like Trish Goff.
Supermodel physique, delicate features, fair skin.
To be more precise, the Slavic girls Simon had in Ukraine were the epitome of his ideal elf.
Therefore, aside from the elf maid role he had promised to Elizabeth, Simon had privately decided to select a group of Slavic models from Elite and Ukraine to play elves, creating a Middle-earth supermodel squad.
But that was beside the point.
After weighing the pros and cons of Charlize and Trish, Simon and Jackson ultimately settled on Charlize Theron.
The main reason was that Trish Goff had zero chemistry with Viggo Mortensen.
If Arwen, like Galadriel, was a more ethereal character, Simon would have chosen Trish. However, since Arwen had a romantic subplot spanning all three films, they had to go with Charlize, who had shown better chemistry with Mortensen during the auditions.
Once the decision was made, it was announced on the spot.
When Charlize heard the news from Simon, she covered her mouth, nearly breaking down in tears.
From nearly starring in Paul Verhoeven's R-rated Showgirls in 1994 to now, Charlize had spent over three years grinding through minor roles, often wondering if her brief encounter with Simon had been a dream or if he had simply forgotten about her.
Now, her luck had finally turned.
Even though she was from South Africa, Charlize knew how iconic The Lord of the Rings was in the West. Moreover, with Simon Westeros, who had an almost flawless track record, at the helm, being part of such a massive project would elevate her career, regardless of the films' success.
Nicole, already in costume and makeup, watched the scene with mixed feelings.
Her decision to take the role at a lower fee was also influenced by her experiences over the years. While Simon hadn't pressured her, Nicole couldn't deny that the opportunities he offered often catapulted relatively unknown actors to stardom.
Especially with The Lord of the Rings.
Even though the pay was low, Nicole had ultimately accepted the role, not just because it was an opportunity from Simon, but also because she was increasingly aware that the rules of Hollywood were changing. The days when a star like Marlon Brando could earn a then-astronomical $14 million plus backend deals for a 10-minute cameo in Superman (1978) were over.
At least, Daenerys Entertainment wouldn't allow such things.
So, she had to face reality.
The reality was that Simon Westeros was now the rulemaker in Hollywood.
After having staff escort the emotionally overwhelmed Charlize to rest, Simon and Jackson turned their attention to Nicole.
Nicole, already a natural beauty above 80 points, now stood before them in full costume as Galadriel, easily surpassing 90 points. Without even needing to audition, the two men unanimously agreed—she was perfect.
With the Queen and Princess roles finalized, Simon and Jackson spent the final days of August rushing through other tasks, from casting to planning the two-year promotional campaign leading up to the first film's release, as well as mapping out the shooting schedule.
And then there was the budget.
The trilogy's budget was set at $270 million, averaging $90 million per film, similar to the original.
Simon didn't round it up to $300 million, leaving some room for overages. Starting with a $300 million budget might encourage the crew to overspend, which Simon wanted to avoid.
As for the filming location...
Unlike the original, which was shot in New Zealand, the new Lord of the Rings trilogy would be entirely produced in Australia. After all, Australia had landscapes just as breathtaking as New Zealand's, if not more so. Plus, Daenerys Entertainment had a full-fledged film industry infrastructure in Australia.
There was also the tax rebate factor.
After months of negotiations, and with Daenerys Entertainment presenting a Middle-earth marketing plan—along with the influence of the Verstov system in Australia—the Australian government approved a $50 million tax rebate, provided the entire trilogy, including filming and post-production, was done in Australia.
This meant that, barring overages, Daenerys Entertainment only needed to put up $220 million, with the Australian government covering the rest. At $220 million, just a bit more than the cost of Titanic, Daenerys Entertainment was poised to deliver a classic Middle-earth trilogy.
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