Jamie Oliver turned down hobbit role in ‘The Lord of the Rings’

TORONTO — Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has revealed he turned down a chance to play a hobbit in the final movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

At a recent taping of his UK series Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast, Oliver said in 2001 he was offered a cameo in The Return of the King in exchange for cooking director Peter Jackson’s 40th birthday dinner.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“I really wanted to do it,” Oliver recalled, according to the Guardian.

“But I was working, I couldn’t get out of it.”

Filming of the three The Lord of the Rings films ended in December 2000 — but Jackson reportedly shot additional scenes for the third chapter prior to its 2003 release.

Oliver said not being able to fly to New Zealand for the gig was “the worst thing that happened to me.”