“What’s covfefe, precious?”
If there are two things Late Show host Stephen Colbert is especially vocal about, they are his love for Tolkien and his disdain for Trump. So when Colbert had Lord of the Rings and Hobbit alum Andy Serkis on his show last night, he of course saw a perfect opportunity for some laughs. And it did not disappoint.
Serkis, often seen as the pioneer of motion capture acting, was on the show promoting War for the Planet of the Apes, his latest project. Colbert, a Tolkien fanboy by his own admission, could not let the actor go, however, without briefly reprising the role that first put Serkis on the map: Gollum.
“I wondered,” said the late night host, “if I could ask a favor.” He then handed Serkis a card with a couple of Donald Trump’s tweets. Serkis laughed, and then delivered:
There are so many things to love about this bit. First of all, the way Serkis immediately hops onto his chair, as if being in that squatting position is the surefire way to get him into character.
Secondly, Serkis has still got it. I’m sure the Gollum voice is the one thing he gets asked to do by every fan spotting him walking down the street, and he’s probably sick of it at this point, but he’s just so good at it.
Thirdly, watching Colbert’s face light up as Serkis launches right into full on Gollum voice is just sheer delight in its purest form. It’s always fun to see Colbert’s bursts of Tolkien geekiness, whether he’s engaging in a trivia battle with James Franco, interviewing the dragon Smaug, or moderating the Hobbit panel at SDCC—because he genuinely is a massive fan. His blatant devotion even earned him a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, for crying out loud.
While hearing 45’s tweets in Gollum’s voice is hilarious, it’s also a little scary, because it just sounds too natural. I can honestly imagine actual Gollum using a Twitter account in a similar fashion, bemoaning his “haters,” thinking the whole world is against him, etc. #SAD.
This is not the first time Trump’s tweets have been read out loud for sheer entertainment value. Mark Hamill delivered a bunch in his signature Joker voice earlier this year, while Josh Groban once sang a few on Jimmy Kimmel. Both are equally hilarious:
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