Peter Jackson just revealed that Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino might have starred in "The Lord of the Rings," but he was warned by Harvey Weinstein that they were both "a nightmare" and to "avoid them at all costs."

In the late '90s, Jackson was pitching "The Lord of the Rings" films to Miramax, the company Weinstein founded with his brother Bob. "I recall Miramax telling us [Judd and Sorvino] were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998," Jackson told New Zealand site Stuff.

"At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us, but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing," Jackson said. "I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women, and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list."

Jackson said that the Weinsteins were the real nightmares. "My experience, when Miramax controlled the 'Lord of the Rings' (before New Line took over production), was of Weinstein and his brother behaving like second-rate Mafia bullies. They weren't the type of guys I wanted to work with, so I haven't," he said.

Judd responded to the story with a tweet saying, "I remember this well."

Judd later shared a more detailed tweet about how far along in the process she had been when she "abruptly never heard [them] again." She would have presumably have played either Arwen or Galadriel.

Sorvino tweeted, "Just seeing this after I awoke, I burst out crying. There it is, confirmation that Harvey Weinstein derailed my career, something I suspected but was unsure... I'm just heartsick."

In 1996, Judd and Sorvino played Marilyn Monroe in different stages of her life in the TV movie "Norma Jean & Marilyn." Sorvino won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 1995's "Mighty Aphrodite."

Sorvino's next project, a TV version of "Three Days of the Condor," debuts in 2018. Judd appeared in 4 episodes of "Twin Peaks: The Return" and is now a series regular on "Berlin Station."

[Via Stuff]