Andy Serkis Bizarrely Impersonates Vladimir Putin as Gollum
Just when it seemed like celebrity Ukraine commentary couldn’t get any weirder, Andy Serkis threw his hat in the ring. On Wednesday evening, the Lord of the Rings actor appeared on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show with one job and one job only: to promote his turn as Alfred Pennyworth in the new Batman movie. Instead, he decided to comment on the unfolding geopolitical crisis in Russia and Ukraine—while in character as LOTR’s Gollum.
In a crossover event nobody asked for, Serkis slips into the villain’s instantly recognizable mangled accent to do an impression of Gollum as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Gollum was on this side and Sméagol was on this side,” he says. “We wants it. We needs it. We must have Kyiv!” At this point, the camera cuts to Colbert, who sort of nervously laughs with his eyebrows raised.