Andy Serkis, the star behind Gollum, has defended the casting of new Lord of the Rings film The Hunt for Gollum after it was slammed for its lack of diversity, stating the Shire feels ‘very white’
Andy Serkis responds to backlash(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis has defended the casting of new spin-off film The Hunt for Gollum after it was criticised for its lack of diversity. The star said the film would address concerns “where relevant” and wanted to avoid “ticking boxes”, adding that the Shire feels “very white”.
Serkis played Gollum in the original films and is now both directing and starring in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which follows Strider’s (Jamie Dornan) search for the creature during the events of first film Fellowship of the Ring. The film was hit with backlash about it’s lack of diversity after the main cast was announced, as it only featured white actors.
When asked about the backlash by the BBC, he said that the Shire, where the hobbits live, feels “very white”. He said: “The Shire feels very, very much like a very, a very white, you know… They’re not very concerned about what goes on beyond the borders of the Shire, but they know they don’t want people coming in.”
He added that the writer of the books, JRR Tolkein, was “influenced by a lot of Norse mythology”. Serkis agreed that there had been “criticisms” about the casting of the original films and said his film would be “somewhat acknowledging that”.
But he also insisted that he would not be doing a “politically correct just-casting-for-the-sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version” of the film.
“So it’s only where relevant basically,” he continued. The casting that has so far been announced for the new film includes original Lord of the Rings actors.
Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo, as well as Serkis who is reprising the role of Gollum. Lee Pace, who was in the prequel series The Hobbit, will return as elf Thranduil.
The actors joining the franchise include Anya Taylor-Joy as elf Seren, Kate WInslet as Marigol, Jamie Dornan as Strider. Strider is the chief of the Dunedain rangers who is later revealed as Aragorn, played by Viggo Mortensen in the original series. Aragorn was the heir to the throne of Gondor.
Netflix star Leo Woodall as Halvard, another ranger, working with Strider. Further actors are expected to be announced in the coming months.
The film is expected to be released on 17 December 2027 and will follow Gollum’s perspective. It is not the only spin off film coming up, as former chat show host Stephen Colbert has written another film called Shadow of the Past.
Serkis has spent much of his career campaigning for equality in Hollywood. In 2018, he said that being one of the few white members of cast for Black Panther gave him a new perspective on being an ethnic minority in a film.
He told Radio Times: “[Director] Ryan Coogler said to me and Martin [Freeman], ‘Guys, I have to tell you this, but this is the first scene I’ve directed with two white actors in it.’ That’s an incredible perspective to find yourself in.”
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