Andy Serkis is set to reprise memories of his memorable Gollum portrayal by giving a continuous live reading of “The Hobbit” online, with the special Bank Holiday event hoping to boost NHS charity funds as a result through its celebration of JRR Tolkien’s classic tale. The 56-year-old character actor is determined to read the famed 1937 novel from cover to cover with no breaks, in what is expected to form an unforgettable one-off performance lasting more than ten hours in duration.
The staggering feat of longevity is looking to raise much-needed funds to be split between NHS Charities Together and Best Beginnings, a charity that supports parents in giving their children the best start in life. It represents yet another fine example of supreme contributions to charity efforts and raising people’s general spirits during the current Coronavirus outbreak, following in the footsteps of the likes of Tom Hardy’s bedtime book reading and Queen’s musical charity collusion with Adam Lambert.
Bank holiday reading
His reading has taken place from 10am on bank holiday Friday, with further streaming details to follow afterwards.
Escapism during current lockdown
Looking ahead to his latest challenge, Serkis reflected on the global issues of recent times by commenting that “so many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown." However, despite all of the current concerns, he wants “to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written, a 12-hour armchair marathon across Middle Earth.” He described the beneficiaries of his efforts as “two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need."
Amazing portrayal of Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings”
Serkis will be familiar to Film aficionados for his stunning depiction of the schizophrenic dual personality of Smeagol / Gollum, a central character in the “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” series of films.
The British star - critically acclaimed for his motion capture film roles – was honoured in 2020 with a well- deserved BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.
Among major grossing actors of all-time
Perhaps unsurprisingly then he ranks highly amongst the all-time list of highest grossing actors, thanks to contributions to the likes of the “Planet of the Apes” reboot series (2011 onwards) and especially the “Star Wars” sequels “The Force Awakens” and “The Last Jedi” (as the CGI character Supreme Leader Snoke). If that isn’t quite enough to cement his standing as a major contributor to cinematic folklore, he also played the part of ‘Klaw’ (Ulysses Klaue) in Marvel’s box office successes “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Black Panther”.
There could yet be more heartening news in the future for Marvel film lovers, as Serkis is understood to be expected to direct the sequel to “Venom” called “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” in 2021.