Jamie Dornan burst into tears when he landed the role of Aragorn in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
The Fifty Shades of Grey star admitted it is "an absolute dream and an honour" to be following in the footsteps of Viggo Mortensen, 68, who portrayed the character in the original Lord of the Rings film franchise.
He told Entertainment Tonight: "I cried. I actually cried.
"It’s like a dream. It’s an absolute dream and an honour to be entering that world in any capacity, let alone playing a character of such significance and such admiration, and that we all love and love what Viggo did with that role in those three films."
Dornan, 44, has now finished the "incredible" filming experience, and he hopes fans will think he has done a "good job" when they see the motion picture in December 2027.
He added: "[I’m] incredibly honoured and had a brilliant time.
"I finished like three weeks ago.
"It was an incredible experience, and I hope people welcome our story into that world because a lot of people care about it, and I really realise that.
"But yeah, hopefully we’ve done a good job of it."
Dornan recently admitted he feels the pressure of taking over one of cinema’s most iconic fantasy roles.
Speaking to L’Officiel, in an interview translated by Slashfilm, Dornan discussed the challenge of following the original performance and his determination to honour the character.
He said: "There’s pressure when you’re trying to follow in those footsteps. I’ve been asked to play a super iconic role, and I’ll do my best.
"But for me, Aragorn will always be just Viggo.
"His performance is one of my all-time favourites, and I feel honoured to try to recapture at least some of the energy he originally brought to the character. There’s no part of me that’s trying to outdo him."
The Northern Irish actor - who also starred in Kenneth Branagh’s acclaimed film Belfast - will portray Aragorn before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, when the future king of Gondor was living as a solitary ranger known as Strider.
Viggo played Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, released between 2001 and 2003.
