Few examples are as legendary as Sean Connery turning down Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. Connery was offered the role of Gandalf before the trilogy went into production and famously didn’t connect with the material. “Look, I'm only speculating, but I just can't imagine Sean Connery being as supportive as Ian McKellen was, and being as willing to do whatever we wanted as Ian was, and being as tolerant as Ian was. Ian McKellen didn’t just play Gandalf. Connery or no Connery, The Lord of the Rings landed exactly where it needed to, and Gandalf remains one of those rare casting miracles where the right actor didn’t just play the role.