January 31, 2025, 9:29 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Many people know actor Andy Serkis primarily for his role as Gollum in the fantasy film “The Lord of the Rings.” In interviews, he revealed how he came to play the character and how Gollum got his iconic raspy voice.
Actor Andy Serkis is best known for his role as Gollum in the fantasy film series The Lord of the Rings. But he probably has his pet to thank for the fact that he is now famous for the iconic role. As Andy Serkis revealed in an interview, a certain noise made by his cat had a major influence on his audition for the role.
Andy Serkis’ Cat’s Choking Incident Inspired the Famous Gollum Sound
In an interview with the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), among others, the actor revealed how the unusual sound that the character Gollum often makes in the Lord of the Rings films came about. At first, Serkis wasn’t at all sure that he was the right person for the role. He is not a voice actor by trade and, for instance, cannot imitate dialects. He, therefore, doesn’t approach characters so much through his voice.
As he sat in his kitchen with the book in hand, pondering Gollum’s motives, his cat Dizz entered. Meanwhile, he was thinking about the character carrying his guilt or pain and Gollum’s obsession with the ring becoming overpowering.
Serkis sought to convey an involuntary reaction triggered by the One Ring. At that moment, the cat began coughing up balls of fur and retching. The sound and movements Dizz made were perfect for what Serkis was looking for, and so it became the inspiration for Gollum’s voice.
“Sex and the City” star Kristin Davis adopts new dog from foster home
This Musician Sings for Animals and Became an Internet Star
Living with a 20-year-old dog: “I even take him into the bathroom”
Andy Serkis Has His Cat to Thank for His Global Career
Serkis also performed a version of this sound at the audition. As a result, the casting director just sat there with his mouth open. Apparently, he liked the performance so much that he sent it to director Peter Jackson. He hired Serkis for the role. He also invited him to take part in his next major project, King Kong, immediately after filming was completed.
The raspy voice of Gollum, a result of the choking sound, marked the definitive breakthrough for the English actor. Although he had already been successful before that, it was his portrayal of the hobbit Smeágol and the split personality Gollum that brought him worldwide fame.
After the three The Lord of the Rings films, he played Gollum again in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, for which he also acted as second unit director. In the upcoming 2026 film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, the now 60-year-old Serkis is set to reprise his role and also serve as director.
Middle-earth Creator J.R.R. Tolkien Likely Didn’t Favor Cats
“The fact that Andy Serkis was so inspired by his cat in his search for the character of Gollum would certainly have seemed appropriate for the evil character of Gollum to the author of The Lord of the Rings. After all, there is some evidence in Tolkien’s estate that he was not particularly fond of cats.
One of his letters (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, no. 219) states: “I fear I consider Siamese cats to belong to the fauna of Mordor, though you needn’t mention that to the cat breeder.”
But even in his fictional publications, cats did not come off particularly well. His first descriptions of Middle-earth already featured a demonic cat called Tevildo, who would later become the villain Sauron. He also had nothing good to say about the cats of the evil Queen Berúthiel, who spied for her.”