If there is one person more precious to theThe Lord of the Rings, then it is Andy Serkis. Having played the role of Gollum in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, reprised the role for The Hobbit, and subsequently recorded audiobook versions of both books and The Silmarillion, Serkis has embedded himself in the fantasy works of Tolkien more than anyone. Now he is about to return to the franchise again as the director of the new movie, The Hunt for Gollum. However, things could have been different if he had turned down the role of Gollum, which he really did not like when it was offered to him.

Serkis recently spoke about his reaction to being offered the role of Gollum while appearing at a Fan Expo San Francisco, explaining how he had no real interest in the role after misunderstanding what the role entailed. He said:

“When I was first approached to play the role, it was explained to me by my agent when I first spoke to them on the phone about it. They said, 'Look, they're making this little film down in New Zealand called Lord of the Rings, and they want to see you for a voice for a digital character.' And I was like, 'What? There must be a dozen good roles in that movie. Can you not get me up for something decent?' And they said, 'Well, it is Gollum.' And I said, 'That's a decent role. Yeah, okay, alright, I'm listening.'