Andy Serkis: 'The Hunt for Gollum' Won't Cast Actors Just to Tick Boxes
"I don’t think we’re doing a sort of... politically correct... just casting for the sake of casting and ticking boxes version of the film."
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy—arguably the greatest film trilogy ever made—has long been criticised by modern woke commentators for its supposed lack of racial diversity.
Subsequent Tolkien adaptations, including The Hobbit trilogy and The Rings of Power, in particular, made obvious efforts to satisfy the demands for fewer White actors by introducing racially diverse hobbits, dwarves, and elves to Middle-earth.
However, the filmmakers behind Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum appear to be returning to Tolkien’s original vision by creating a world that is consistent with the one he imagined—a world that is heavily derived from Norse mythology and European history.
As the BBC noted:
“The previous Lord of the Rings films, made before colour-blind casting became common, had almost entirely white line-ups, and so far, this film looks like being the same.
Every major cast member announcement to date has been white; Jamie Dornan, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, as well as returning stars including Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen. The question is, why?”
The horror!
Actor and director Andy Serkis, who will reprise his role as Gollum in the upcoming film, defended the apparent lack of diversity, saying the production will not engage in tokenistic casting, but will instead cast actors according to what is appropriate for Tolkien’s world.
Serkis said:
“Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology. There’s a lot of, kind of, that feeling. The Shire feels very, very much like... 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.
“Yes, there have been criticisms. This particular film is somewhat acknowledging that... I don’t think we’re doing a sort of... politically correct... just casting for the sake of casting and ticking boxes version of the film. So, it’s where relevant, basically.”
If The Hunt for Gollum remains faithful to Tolkien's world rather than contemporary political trends, that can only be good news for fans. That’s the reason why the original trilogy has stood the test of time and still remains one of the greatest—if not the greatest—trilogies ever made.
Stories should be cast according to the worlds they inhabit—not according to ideological quotas. Here's hoping more filmmakers rediscover that principle.
I’m looking at you, Christopher Nolan.