‘The Hunt for Gollum’ Star Anya Taylor-Joy Reveals She Hasn’t Read ‘Lord of the Rings’ Books
Anya Taylor-Joy is getting ready to explore Middle-earth for the first time in a deeper way. The actress, who has joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, revealed that she has not read J.R.R. Tolkien’s books yet but plans to start soon.
Speaking with Variety’s Marc Malkin at the premiere of Apple TV’s Lucky, Taylor-Joy explained that she grew up thinking she had to choose between two major fantasy worlds: Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. As a child, she considered herself a big Harry Potter fan and somehow convinced herself that fans could only belong to one side.
“I’m about to read the books now, actually,” Taylor-Joy told Variety. “So as a child, I had a misguided idea that you could only be a ‘Harry Potter’ fan or a ‘Lord of the Rings’ fan. Nobody told me that. I just came up with that on my own. Luckily, throughout COVID, I then watched all of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ and it turns out you can love both, and you should.”
Taylor-Joy’s comments come after she was announced as part of the cast for The Hunt for Gollum, the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie directed by Andy Serkis. The actress said she is excited about joining such an iconic franchise and joked about the kind of legacy she hopes to leave behind.
When asked about her reaction to landing the role, Taylor-Joy said, “It’s so fun. I mean, if my tombstone can say ‘Lethal Elf,’ I feel like I did a good job on this planet. So yeah, I’m excited.”
In The Hunt for Gollum, Taylor-Joy will play Seren, a Sindar Elf from the Woodland Realm. The character is described as a trusted and dangerous agent working for King Thranduil. The role marks a new addition to the world created by Tolkien and gives Taylor-Joy a chance to step into one of the most famous fantasy universes ever made.
The film will also introduce several new cast members while bringing back some familiar faces. Jamie Dornan has joined the project as Aragorn, taking over the role previously played by Viggo Mortensen. Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall are also part of the new cast.
Directed by Andy Serkis, who famously played Gollum in the original trilogy, The Hunt for Gollum will focus on Aragorn’s search for the creature before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The story takes place between The Hobbit and the beginning of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Several original cast members are expected to return, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and Lee Pace as King Thranduil. Serkis will once again step into the role of Gollum while also leading the movie behind the camera.
Serkis recently spoke about the casting changes during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. He addressed the decision to bring Jamie Dornan into the role of Aragorn and shared that Mortensen is supportive of the new direction.
“I really, really don’t want to go into it right now because I do want to save that for, you know, further down the line,” Serkis said. “I’m gonna save all discussion about casting. Other than that, we are thrilled that Jamie’s doing it. I mean, we’re, you know, we’re absolutely thrilled. And, by the way, so is Viggo.”
Are You Excited to See Anya Taylor-Joy Join 'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum'?
With Taylor-Joy now preparing to read Tolkien’s original works and become part of the Middle-earth legacy, fans are curious to see how she will bring her new character to life when The Hunt for Gollum arrives.
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