This from CoventryTelegraph.com:
"I've given up the milk run, hopefully you'll see us acting in stuff. The Hobbit! Please the Hobbit! I was so close in Lord Of The Rings. Just bring me another big spider and I'll kick it's f***ing head in."
Vegas had earlier revealed: "I actually went to a casting for Sam Gamgee [in Lord of the Rings] and got a call back with the director.
"But I did a gig the night before and the mike broke so I ended up shouting and lost my voice. They probably thought I was rubbish anyway.
"I went through a few months of getting drunk and emailing the official site saying it should have been me."
The part of Sam, Frodo's gardener, went instead to Sean Astin. Which was not a bad choice at all. Sean nailed that role making Samwise Gamgee not a stupid dope that couldn't find his butt with two hands, instead Sean made Samwise a perfect counterpart to help Frodo on his way to Mordor.
Could Johnny Vegas play Bilbo? I guess he could why not? Johnny looks like a funny little person. I think he would be better suited to be one of the other Hobbits that accompanied Bilbo on his first Great Adventure. Johnny seems more of a comic relief Hobbit rather then a serious lead Hobbit.