Andy Serkis revealed his first reaction when he was being considered to play Gollum in all three Lord of the Rings films and returned to play the scheming character again in the first Hobbit movie. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a worldwide phenomenon and received rave reviews. The third film, The Return of the King, even won Best Picture at the 2004 Academy Awards. Serkis' performance as Gollum has always been one of the most praised aspects of the fantasy trilogy.

However, at a recent Fan Expo San Francisco , which Screen Rant's own Joe Deckelmeier moderated, Serkis recently revealed that he initially wasn't very interested in playing Gollum. He wanted to play other Lord of the Rings characters instead and explained that he originally only thought they wanted him to voice Gollum. However, director Peter Jackson explained the motion capture process to him, which enticed Serkis more. Read Serkis' full quote below:

When I was first approached to play the role, it was explained to me by my agent when I first spoke to them on the phone about it. They said, 'Look, they're making this little film down in New Zealand called Lord of the Rings, and they want to see you for a voice for a digital character.' And I was like, 'What? There must be a dozen good roles in that movie. Can you not get me up for something decent?' And they said, 'Well, it is Gollum.' And I said, 'That's a decent role. Yeah, okay, alright, I'm listening.'

But originally, it was explained to me that it was just going to be the voice. And then when I met Peter Jackson and auditioned, he explained that they were just on the verge of trying out this new technology called motion capture, and that he wanted an actor to be on set to act with the other actors. Because up to that point, many CG characters were only represented by a tennis ball on a stick, and the actors had to pretend that they were having a relationship with it.

Gollum, as many people know, drives a lot of the scenes and drives the wedges between Frodo and Sam, and it's all about the interaction. He wanted an actor to play that character. Motion capture aside, I just approached it like any other role, getting into the psychology and the physicality and then the voice. And none of those could be separated for me. I can't just come up with a voice; it doesn't work like that for me as an actor. So, I started to think about the guilt that Gollum felt from killing his cousin and how that guilt was trapped, and I decided it was trapped in his throat. Then that kind of involuntary action helps propel the sound of Gollum. Where does that come from?

As I was working on the voice – this is true and many of you may know this – my cat Diz came into the picture where I was working on the character and started to cough up fur, and I just saw his spine kind of riffling as he trying to get [the furball out], and that is exactly where Gollum’s voice came from.

What Playing Gollum In The Lord Of The Rings Meant For Serkis' Career

Gollum Was One Of The Highlights Of The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum was originally a Hobbit named Smeagol who was corrupted by the One Ring. Gollum guides Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mordor and serves as a constant reminder for Frodo of what could happen to him if he gives into the Ring's power. Gollum's tragic backstory and role throughout the trilogy make him one of the best, if not the best, Lord of the Rings characters.

Serkis' revolutionary performance as Gollum made him one of the most iconic characters in movie history. Jackson decided to use motion capture technology so that Serkis could fully embody Gollum. This technology was revolutionary when the Lord of the Rings movies were released, and changed how CG characters could be portrayed onscreen. After The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Serkis portrayed several other motion capture characters in movies, such as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise and Snoke in Star Wars.

Our Take On Serkis' Comments About The Role Of Gollum

He Owes His Career To Gollum

Serkis' initial reaction to his Lord of the Rings role is funny in hindsight since he is perhaps best known for portraying Gollum. After playing Gollum, he garnered a reputation for playing motion-capture characters. Over two decades after the iconic trilogy concluded, the The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will have Serkis as its director, and will almost certainly feature him portraying Gollum once again. Therefore, being offered the role of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings completely changed his career, and opened up many new opportunities for him.