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Although Smeagol is a computer
generated character, his voice and all movements have been performed by actor,
Andy Serkis. He originally auditioned just to do the voice for a computer
generated creature, but gave such a good physical performance that Peter
Jackson decided to have him act out each scene as well. Each scene
with Gollum was filmed 3 times: the first on set
Smeagol was once a Skoor, a hobbit-like creature who lived by the river. His cousin, Deagol found the One Ring while the two were out fishing. The power of the Ring effected Smegol immediately and he murdered his cousin and took the Ring for himself as a birthday present. The name "Smeagol" is Old English for "burrower" or "digger" and his murdered cousins's name "Deagol" is the Old English word for "secret."
The Two Towers is the first sequel to be nominated
for an Academy Award for best picture when the original film did not win
the award itself. Unfortunately, Andy Serkis was ruled ineligible for
a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2003 Academy Awards because his
character onscreen was computer generated.
"The cold hard lands they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet. The rocks and stones are like old bones all bare of meat. But stream and pool is wet and cool so nice for feet! And now we wish... Alive without breath; as cold as death; never thirsting, ever drinking; clad in mail, never clinking. Drowns on dry land, thinks an island is a mountain; thinks a fountain is a puff of air. So sleek, so fair! What a joy to meet! We only wish to catch a fish, so juicy-sweet!" ~Gollum's Song.
Please continue for Pippin and Merry or choose Home to return for other characters. |
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Gollum/Smeagol ~ Performed by Andy
Serkis.
with him interacting with Elijah and Sean, then again with
just Elijah and Sean and a blank area where Gollum would be, and then alone
in the studio where Serkis reenacted all the movements again with a motion
capture suit.
Although Smeagol is desperate to get the Ring back for himself,
he agrees to be Frodo and Sam's guide to lead them to Mordor. "When
Frodo meets Gollum, Frodo sees a lot of himself in the creature. He
senses that his journey can't continue without Gollum." Serkis says
of the characters. "I played Gollum as an addict! The thing to
remember about Gollum is that he hates the Ring and he loves the Ring - just
as he hates and loves himself. He's an addict in need of a fix, and
that fix is the Ring... Gollum is the dark side of humanity, but I tried
to look at him in a non-judgmental way - not as a snivelling, evil wretch
but from the point of view of 'There but for the grace of God, go I.' My
view is simply this: we can choose to demonize anyone with uncontrollable
obsessions, but if we don't seek to understand them, then we can never hope
to grow as human beings." The tower of Barad-dur in the story where
Gollum was imprisoned stands 3000 feet tall.
