Jamie Oliver Turned Down An On-Screen Role As A Hobbit
British chef Jamie Oliver just revealed that he (sadly) refused Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson's offer of a role as a hobbit in the epic films. Apparently in 2001, an executive producer for Lord of the Rings contacted Oliver and offered him a role as a hobbit in one of the upcoming movies in exchange for flying out to New Zealand to cook for Peter Jackson's 50th birthday dinner.
"The worst thing that happened to me was that I got phoned up by the exec producer and asked did I want to go and cook for Peter Jackson's birthday," he tells actress Kate Hudson while filming his new BBC TV series, Jimmy's Friday Night Feast with Jimmy Doherty. "And if I did, they would fly me over and I could be a hobbit in the film. But I was working, I couldn't get out of it."
Well, at least he's honorable. We bet you're facepalming now. Since most of the filming for the Lord of the Rings trilogy took place before 2001, Oliver likely would have had a role in one of The Hobbit trilogy movies. Together, the three films grossed over $800 million at the box office. It's too bad, because we bet the hobbits would have loved chef Oliver's rendition on a second breakfast.