A sit down with Bilbo, Gollum and Thorin

  • Breaking
  • 27/11/2012

By 3 News online staff

The tormented Gollum returns to the big screen in the upcoming Hobbit films, but actor Andy Serkis admits the character never really left him.

“He’s always sort of been lurking underneath my skin and I’m constantly reminded on a daily basis about Gollum,” he says.

Serkis says he enjoyed reprising the fiendish role.

“He really genuinely has never left me. But it was great to play again.”

If Gollum is among the film’s villains, Bilbo is surely the hero, played by former The Office star Martin Freeman. He says the lead role was a pleasure to play, helped by Sir Peter Jackson’s masterful guidance.

“Pete’s very good at making you feel like you’re just making a film, it’s not like we’re all patting ourselves on the back on day three of filming, thinking we’re in The Hobbit. You know if you do that it’s suicide.”

Freeman says his role is just one facet of a rich and deeply emotional story.

“I tried to do my best to, in a way, stay out of the way and let the story be the king of it.”

He says the film’s reception is entirely out of his hands, and all he can do is wait for the release.

“How people receive it is nothing to do with me, and I can’t change it. You know I’d love to drug everyone and say, ‘You must think I’m brilliant,’ but how it’s received now is completely up to everyone else.”

Another hero of the film is the fearless warrior dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield, played by Richard Armitage.

The 1.88m British actor was digitally shrunk for the role – but says it was still a lofty part to play.

“I felt like this character were big shoes to fill – they literally were big shoes to fill,” he says, “and we had to get bigger in order to get smaller. Our bodies were made bigger so that when the digital magic makes us smaller we didn’t look like children, we looked like fearsome, bulky warriors.”

Armitage says he’s looking forward to today’s “party” atmosphere on the red carpet, where he’ll join fellow stars Serkis and Freeman for the premiere.

Watch the video for Samantha Hayes’ full interview with Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage.

3 News

source: newshub archive