While Aragorn will be the protagonist of Andy Serkis’ upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, the titular former hobbit will be at the center of the story, pursued by the forces of good and evil alike for information about the One Ring. As the first live-action The Lord of the Rings film in over two decades, The Hunt for Gollum‘s focus on Gollum is significant. Serkis is surely partial to the character since he portrayed him in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, but Gollum is also a deeply compelling figure.
The most interesting aspect of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings was his fractured psyche, as he was torn between two identities. This led to many memorable pieces of dialogue in Jackson’s films, especially during Gollum’s conversations with himself, but fans often overlook one of his most important lines. Just two words spoken by Gollum in the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King lent insight into the darkest corners of his mind and shattered a common misconception about the character.
Gollum Was a Morally Complex Character in The Lord of the Rings
As revealed in both J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel and the opening flashback of Jackson’s The Return of the King, Gollum was once a Stoor hobbit named Sméagol, but exposure to the One Ring caused him to develop a darker identity. In the novel, Samwise “Sam” Gamgee nicknamed Gollum’s two halves Stinker and Slinker, but they were more commonly referred to simply as Gollum and Sméagol.
Gollum was ruled by the dark impulses that the One Ring drew out of him. He was cruel and selfish, even verbally abusing his own alter ego. Sméagol maintained more of his original hobbit personality. He enjoyed singing and playing games, such as his riddle contest with Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, and he genuinely valued Frodo Baggins’ friendship.
It would therefore be easy to say that Sméagol was Gollum’s good side, but that is an oversimplification of the character. Even if he was less outwardly malicious, Sméagol was still corrupted by the One Ring. He was more than willing to lie, steal, and kill even without Gollum’s influence.
Tolkien made it clear that Sméagol possessed a mean streak even before he developed the Gollum persona, which Jackson hinted at as well. While characters like Boromir were able to resist the One Ring’s aura of temptation for months, Sméagol entered a murderous rage within mere moments of seeing it for the first time. Sméagol’s inner darkness was exemplified by a brief exchange with Frodo upon the slope of Mount Doom.
Sméagol Showed His True Colors in The Return of the King’s Extended Edition
As Sam carried Frodo to the Crack of Doom, Gollum attacked the pair of hobbits, dragging Frodo to the ground and strangling him. As Frodo struggled for air, he reminded Sméagol of his oath not to harm the Ring-bearer: “You swore on the Precious! Sméagol promised!” With a wicked smile, his assailant simply replied, “Sméagol lied!”
Whether Gollum or Sméagol was in control at this moment is debatable, as he lacked the dilated pupils that usually designated Sméagol, but the distinction was largely irrelevant, because Sméagol had become just as evil as Gollum. He felt betrayed by Frodo, and he was willing to do anything to reclaim the One Ring, even if it meant breaking his vow and killing someone he had once called a friend. By admitting this to Frodo on Mount Doom, Sméagol and Gollum definitively moved beyond any chance for redemption.
In the novel, Sam predicted such a thing would occur. In the chapter “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol” from The Two Towers, he warned Frodo that the closer they got to Mount Doom, “the more like Stinker Slinker will get.” Though Frodo and Gollum’s exchange on Mount Doom was removed from the theatrical cut of The Return of the King, presumably for pacing reasons, it was an excellent addition to Gollum’s character arc.
The Hunt for Gollum will take place during the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, long before the line between Gollum and Sméagol became so blurred, but the film must remember that the dichotomy between the two is not black and white. This is a benefit of Serkis directing because he knows the character inside and out. Along with returning screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, he will be able to treat Gollum and Sméagol with the same nuance as Jackson’s trilogy.
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