Andy Serkis resurrected Gollum for a brief moment this week on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Although Serkis was on the late night show to promote his role as Alfred Pennyworth in “The Batman,” “Lord of the Rings” super-fan Colbert quickly pivoted the conversation to all things Middle Earth.
Serkis told Colbert that he voiced 132 different characters in the “Rings” audiobooks, which led to the actor and motion capture icon demonstrating his voice work skills. When it came time to break out Gollum, Serkis did so in a way that bashed Vladimir Putin.
“Gollum was on this side and Sméagol was on this side,” Serkis said. “And he would say things like, ‘We wants it. We needs it. We must have Kyiv!’ ‘No Precious, they’re to impose sanctions!’ ‘Sanctions? Sanctions, my Precious? If they do anything, we’re going to give them shit back.’”
Serkis was evoking Gollum to condemn Putin amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The actor alluded to the numerous sanctions and boycotts being placed against Russia from countries around the world. Warner Bros. even blocked “The Batman” from opening in Russian theaters just days before the comic book tentpole’s scheduled release in the country.
“In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, WarnerMedia is pausing the release of its feature film ‘The Batman’ in Russia,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement earlier this week. “We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.”
As Colbert noted, “There’s so much anticipation for this movie right now, that it’s actually being used as a cudgel against the Russians by not playing it there. It’s one of the sanctions being leveled against Russia that they don’t get this movie. Very powerful.”
“The Batman” opens in U.S. theaters on March 4. Watch Serkis’ full appearance on “The Late Show” in the video below.
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