Jamie Dornan is opening up about the pressure he feels stepping into Viggo Mortensen's shoes.

The actor is taking on the role of Aragorn in the upcoming Lord of the Rings film The Hunt for Gollum. He replaces Mortensen, who portrayed the character that is also known as Strider in director Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Because this new film takes place in between those films and The Hobbit movies, Mortensen, who is 68, was replaced with the younger Dornan, who is 44. Dornan spoke to L’Officiel Italia in a recent interview about the pressure he feels in taking this on.

"There’s pressure when you try to follow in those footsteps," Dornan said, translated from Italian to English. "I’ve been asked to take on a super iconic role, and I’ll do my absolute best. But for me, Aragorn will always be Viggo, and only Viggo. His performance is one of my all-time favorites, and I feel honored to try and capture even a little bit of the energy he originally brought to the character."

Dornan also said "there isn’t a single part of me that’s trying to do it better than he did."

Also joining The Lord of the Rings universe is Leo Woodall, who will play the Dúnedain ranger Halvard. He told the outlet he was impressed by Dornan's performance in the new film.

"I can honestly say that, for me, Aragorn is now Jamie Dornan," Woodall said.

Andy Serkis directs the upcoming film that he also stars in as Gollum and his alter ego, Sméagol. Several other original Lord of the Rings cast members are reprising their celebrated performances in the upcoming film. Ian McKellen will return as the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Elijah Wood will play the hobbit Frodo Baggins and Lee Pace will reprise his part as Thrandruil.

Other additions to the franchise are Kate Winslet and Anya Taylor-Joy, who play Marigol and Seren.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arrives in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.