Voice of Gollum Speaks

By Liane Hansen

Published January 18, 2004 at 12:00 AM EST

Peter Jackson's film trilogy The Lord of the Rings has computerized one of the most memorable characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novels. Gollum was a hobbit named Smeagol whose possession and loss of the powerful ring, which he calls his "precious," turned him into a distraught creature of animalistic drive. NPR's Liane Hansen talks to Andy Serkis, the actor who plays Gollum and Smeagol. He documented his experience in the book Gollum: How We Made Movie Magic.

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.