Andy Serkis: Animal Farm star defends lack of diversity in Lord of the Rings cast
Serkis, 62, has been an advocate for equality throughout his career. He said that being one of the few white actors in 2018’s Black Panther gave him a new understanding of what it felt like to be the ethnic minority on a film set.
But previous Lord of the Rings films, shot before colorblind casting became commonplace, featured almost entirely white casts, and so far the film looks to be the same.
All major casting announcements to date have been white; Jamie Dornan, Anna Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, as well as returning stars including Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellan. The question is: why?
Serkis nods before answering, and it’s clear that this is something he’s thought about a lot: “Tolkien himself was very influenced by Norse mythology, there’s a lot of that feeling.
“The Shire looks very, very white, you know…”
He pauses and pauses before continuing with greater confidence: “They don’t care much 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,” he says, acknowledging arguments that are now nearly a quarter-century old.
“This particular movie kind of acknowledges that. But we don’t think we’re going to make a politically correct version of the movie that’s just casting for the sake of casting and checking off boxes. So, it’s only when it’s fundamentally relevant.”
Although many major stars have already been cast in The Hunt For Gollum, further casting is expected to be announced in the coming months.
