Lord of the Rings: Amazon series looking to cast ‘hairy hairy people with lots of wrinkles’ as orcs
‘Is your face a little ugh?’ asks one casting agency
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Casting agents for Amazon’s big-budget Lord of the Rings TV series are looking for “hairy hairy people” with “wrinkles and lots of them please” to play orcs in the new show.
In the original trilogy of films, orcs were the primary foot soldiers of the Dark Lords' armies. Physically, they were short in stature and humanoid in shape, with stretched and twisted skin.
The casting calls appeal to people under 5ft or over 6ft 5in with “character faces” and “hairy hairy people of all ages and ethnicities” to apply.
Also sought are “stocky mean-looking bikers” and “circus performers who can juggle".
The ad concludes with a plea for people with “HAIR HAIR HAIR – if you have natural red hair, white hair, or lots and lots of freckles”.
Another ad reads: “Do you have a few wrinkles? Have you been out in that sunshine? Is your face a little ugh?”
It added that if you “look like a leather handbag or do have a gazillion wrinkles,” that would qualify you for a role.
A lorry driver, Justin Smith, who lost his teeth in a surfing accident told The Wall Street Journal: “I’ve got more than missing teeth, I’ve got none. I’m short and I’ve got red hair.” He is awaiting an audition callback.
The Lord of the Rings TV series is estimated to cost $1bn and will star Joseph Mawle, who is playing the central villain, Markella Kavenagh and Ema Horvath.
Will Poulter was recently forced to drop out of the show due to scheduling conflicts.
It will be set during the Second Age of Middle-Earth and will serve as a prequel to the events of both the film trilogy and the source novels.
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