Andy Serkis Book Signing Report
The Andy Serkis event that I went to on Thursday, January 15th, was basically a publicity event for his book, but on a grander scale, MUCH grander.
It was a blast!
The event was held in Kane Hall on the University of Washington campus. The event was held in a lecture hall that seats approximately 750, according to the map on the UW website, but estimated attendance was put around 1000.
It was a free event, but tickets were gone not long after they became available in December. When I got there, the standby line to get into the event was over 50 people, an hour and a half before the event, and was larger than those waiting with tickets. I have no idea how many ended up in the standby line, and though I saw them admitting maybe 20 or so, many many more were turned away
I met the Northwesternesse group (a Yahoo Northwest based LotR fan group in which I am involved in) in line and had a blast before hand. It's amazing how when you are with groups like this, that the line parties actually become an event, as much as the actual event itself!
Anyhow, there were about 25-30 of us in the group going to the event, and we were pretty close to the front of the line. We ran and grabbed the 3rd through 6th rows, so that we could all be together. And we had our T-shirts on (if you had them, I don't own one yet, so I just wore green - the color of the T-shirt, to match.) so we could stand out.
It took a while to get everyone in the room. I think they opened the doors late, or if they didn't they should have opened them sooner, as it was nearly 10 minutes late before they started. Not that I cared, I was having fun, and I would have waited for hours more!
One of the staffers from the University Book Store came out and spoke about how the signing was to go after, and then gave a brief introduction to Andy Serkis. She said she was a big fan of LotR, but for being a big fan, the introduction didn't do it or Andy justice. But then, we weren't there for the introduction.
Andy came on stage and the auditorium erupted in applause and cheers. Over half of the room gave him a standing ovation and he seemed to be genuinely overwhelmed. He stood, kind of taking in everything for a moment before going over to the podium.
Andy spoke about his tour and said that this was his last actual talk on the book tour. He had one more stop tomorrow in Pasadena, where he was going to be signing books, but that this was his last talk and that he was happy that he could be in Seattle and end his tour here. He told us that he has heard nothing but good things from the others that have come here, and he was told he would have a great time. Of course, cheers erupted again.
Side note - while many Seattleites like to give a bad impression of Seattle and Washington to other people around the U.S., so that people will stay away; we are actually very pleased to here that our reputation is so good. Especially in the LotR world, as we definitely DON'T want them to stay away!
Andy spoke briefly about how the book came into being and why he wrote it. I wont go into detail here, as some of it is in the book, and I don't want to keep anyone from reading the book. It really is a great book, by the way! But Andy spoke about how the process of Gollum started and changed over time and how events in the world and his life affected Gollum and Smeagol and how he wanted to recount it. That while there were lots of specials on the making of Lord of the Rings, it was very difficult to show in an hour or part of an hour what all was really involved.
He told us how, initially, he was only contracted to provide the voice of Gollum. But how, over time he became to embody Gollum and Smeagol, as he pressed and PJ realized, that to get what they really wanted out of the character, it had to be driven by an Actor and not be solely CGI.
Andy went into great detail about Gollum/Smeagol and their personalities and addiction to the ring. As I am sure many of you have heard him say before, he saw Gollum/Smeagol as basically being a drug addict and the ring was his addiction.
It was absolutely fascinating listening to him talk about the ins and outs of his character and how much he was actually in Gollum's mind. As a performer and someone who has worked extensively with other performers, I was amazed and awed by how much he knew Gollum.
Every actor should do research and know their character. Great actors should know their characters so well that they would be able to answer any question about their past, future, what they are thinking, doing, feeling, at any given moment in time. But Andy didn't just do his research and know Gollum, he was Gollum/Smeagol in every sense of the word.
He had obviously mapped out everything that had happened to Gollum from basically birth to when he fell in Mount Doom. And I am not just speaking of physically what happened and what is said about him in the books, but mentally and emotionally and every single moment of the transition from Smeagol to Gollum. He knew at what point Smeagol turned and what was going on in his head during the entire time in the Misty Mountains, and what he was thinking about before he found the ring, what affected him, what he felt, wanted and needed.
He spoke about his wanting to show that it could have been anyone. That what happened to Smeagol/Gollum could have happened to anyone, to you, to me, to your next-door neighbor.
Andy started to do a reading from his book, which I believe was from Chapter 7 of his book. Though in looking afterwards, I see that he took portions that he thought would work well for a reading and not every single thing that had been in the book. Additionally, while he was “reading”, he was also commenting on what he was reading, as I note in looking back on the book, now.
Andy spoke about what he and PJ had thought and decided about Smeagol and his status in the world before the ring came to him. He went into brief detail as to his costume and why certain choices were made. It was amazing the detail, all the way down to the reasons for the choice of material for his belt. Which I have to say, I never noticed, and now have to go to see the movie so I can see it.
He spoke about Smeagol being from a rich family that had his grandmother as the matriarch (that part is mentioned in the books). How being from a rich family, he probably never worked a day of his life and spent his time fishing. He was the type of kid to have skipped school and would have been a loner, somewhat shunned from society. How he would have been the type to think up devious plots to do to all those that had treated him badly in his village. And how all of this manifested in his life. How he would have taken to exploring things and taking to collecting things
At this point, Andy stopped and looked around and joking said, "much like us". I nearly fell out of my chair laughing, and so did most of the people I was with, since we are all LotR junkies, collecting action figures and whatever else LotR we can get our hands on.
He spoke about the neckerchief, chosen to reflect the influence that his grandmother had on him. He also felt that Gollum was narcissistic and self-absorbed being fascinated with his own reflection and such. That they decided to display this behavior through shiny Pau shell buttons and trophies tied to his belt like trophies.
He then skipped ahead a few pages and went into how it was to do the transformation of Smeagol into Gollum and how wonderful it was to work on it. It sounded like in many ways; it was some of his favorite moments. I think because, as an actor, that kind of stuff is what we live for.
It sounded like most of the transformation of Smeagol was done with Fran and Andy did nothing but rave about her and her direction. He went into all the various parts of the transformation and what they did to him and his character. I couldn't even begin to recount it all, or give it justice. But again, as a performer and one who works with other performers, I was just in awe, absolute awe.
When he read the paragraph that is in the book on page 62 regarding shaving all the hair on his body … it says “That night, I shaved my chest, arms, legs, the lot.” He stopped, looked up and said, “Ok not EVERYTHING”. Again, we burst into laughter. He is so dang funny!
He talked about how the changes in makeup and his look affected him and his portrayal. Especially the semi-opaque contacts he had to wear for part of the transformation that was mentioned in the book. Because of their nature, they actually almost blinded him while he was wearing them, he could hardly see. But he was grateful for it because it kind of trapped him in his head and allowed him to access a part of Gollum/Smeagol he had not yet tapped into and was crucial for those moments.
Finally, he read the portion in the book that speaks of the final stage of the transformation. It's the portion of Gollum/Smeagol as he finds the Misty Mountains and climbs into the caves. Apparently after the long make up change, his children were brought in to visit, and he was concerned that his children would freak out at his appearance. His daughter just looked him up and down and shook her head, and said, “Silly Daddy”.
The place erupted in laughter and applause
After the reading, he said that he wanted to read one more part, before he opened it up to questions and answers. He said he hadn't done this part for any other groups, so we were extremely pleased.
He had printed in the book, a page of the script from TT, the multiple personality part. Briefly he mentioned that this was actually not filmed during the principal photography, but when he came back for post-production pick up before Two Towers was released. We were all amazed by that little piece of information.
Then, to our delight, not only did he read the script, but also it was all in character. Gollum and Smeagol came to life in front of us. Literally!
It was amazing. Absolutely amazing.
When PJ and Elijah, and every one else say that Gollum and Smeagol are based on Andy, even his face, they are not kidding. There, before my eyes, was Gollum and Smeagol arguing back and forth between them (saying dialogue that wasn't in either the Theatrical of the EE, which means there is more of this scene somewhere out there!) And I was just … awed by the performance.
Oh Gods was it just amazing. One moment he was Gollum, the hate, the desire the lust, everything reflected in his eye, his voice, his face, the next second, there was Smeagol, with pain and loss in his eyes, and you just wanted to take him in your arms. It was just … Wow.
I cried.
The performance was so moving that I cried.
I wasn't the only one. Almost everyone around me had tears in their eyes.
When the scene was over, the entire place erupted in cheers and applause and the entire place was on their feet.
This man is so freaking amazing, I just can't say.
*takes deep breath*
After the last reading, he opened it up to Q&A, and there was a moment before anyone raised their hands. We were just in awe I think.
He got a lot of the usual questions that I am sure he has gotten about a thousand times over. Though, it was good to hear some of the answers from him for verification.
One of the first questions to be asked was whether or not a film of the Hobbit was being considered and would he do it, if it were.
I had heard him on the radio that morning answer this question, so I already knew the answer to whether or not he would be willing, but …
Actually his answer wasn't short and sweet. He went into detail as to why there are questions as to the Hobbit being filmed. He discussed the difficulty of getting rights and that PJ actually feels that the Hobbit will be a more difficult movie to pull off then the LotR, which Andy agrees with.
Since the Hobbit is basically one linear story, PJ feels that it will be a more difficult story to tell then one that has many stories intertwined. He also apparently feels that there will need to be lots of changes to make the movie work, which I thought was interesting. He mentioned that one of the problems being that a relatively minor character kills Smaug. (Minor compared to the rest of the story). Again … interesting.
He then said at the end, that if he weren't asked to play Gollum he would be a bit miffed. And there was a great deal of laughter and cheers from the audience.
He was asked if he couldn't have played Gollum/Smeagol what other character would he have wanted to play and why. Andy's answer was that he wouldn't have wanted any other character. He said, that it wasn't because he was trying to be pompous or anything, but that in his mind, Gollum/Smeagol was the ultimate character, every actor's dream, and one of the greatest creations that Tolkien made.
The next question was to why Gollum was such a sot after role. Andy answered that Gollum was probably the most human out of all the characters and there was so much of everything in him. There was so much challenge in the roll, so much angst, sadness, anger, hatred, fear, lust, everything that it was just the ultimate character and role.
I forgot to mention that at the beginning of his talk, he had talked about how nerve racking it was to be in the process of making Gollum since they were breaking ground and this had never been done before. How different things would have been if Gollum had not turned out fabulous and every one had hated the character and how it was portrayed and rather than cheering, we were all booing when he came on stage. How nervous they had all been before the release of Two Towers and waiting to see the reaction of the audience. So, he was asked though it was a wonderful experience from his words, if he knew what he knew now about everything, if he would have done it again.
He said no. Knowing what he knows now, he would not do it again as part of what was so great was the unknown.
He was asked if he had played any pranks while on the set, and he had to think for a while. His answer was not of a prank, but one of the stories that cam be found in the book, regarding a moment between him and Sean that happened when filming before the Black Gates in the Two Towers. It's the moment when both Frodo and Sam take off for the gates and he jumps on their backs and pulls them back. There was tension on the set that day, and one of the times in filming, his hand got caught in Sean's wig and his wig went flying, as he put it “All the way back to the Shire” (eruption of laughter from the room). The wigs were very securely fastened to the heads of the actors, so it was very painful for Sean. He said that Sean went around stamping about mad, half as Sean/ half as Sam, but that the whole time PJ was literally on the ground rolling with laughter, replaying the tape over and over.
He was also asked what it was like to see Gollum/Smeagol complete on the screen. He said that as he had always been apart of the process, not only in the filming, but there as they created and added Gollum throughout the post production, there wasn't ever a moment that was like AHA! But for him the magical moment was watching it for the first time with an audience.
He was cut off after about an hour, and it was obvious that he didn't want to stop. But with nearly 1000 people to get autographs, and he had a plane to catch, he had to stop. He said he would take one more question and then couldn't decide whom to choose. He slipped into Smeagol/Gollum.
"I can't choose!"
"Just pick someone!"
"But it's too hard, precious, there are so many!"
He chose one final person to ask a question, *laughs* and it was the worst possible question he could have chosen.
"I am a little confused as to the process of making Gollum/Smeagol. You had a motion capture …” There was general laughter and noise and Andy collapsed on the ground.
It was quite funny. He was sprawled on his back for a moment and then slowly crawled back up the podium. He picked up the book and said, "There is this book that explains it all …” We all laughed, but the woman would not be dissuaded and continued to ask her questions.
Andy was very nice and courteous and tried to listen and answer, but it was obvious that he was frustrated. He laughed, but at the same time there was kind of an anguished look on his face at the same time.
He started to do a brief explanation, if there could be a brief explanation, and then the woman continued to ask more questions about it. The group laughed and murmured and it was pretty obvious that most of us were a little irritated … mostly on Andy's behalf.
After nearly 5 minutes, he said, again that it was in the book and that he would give it to her free because she was such a nice woman (who was obviously clueless), but that he had to get moving.
At that moment, people rudely started to jump up and make for the signing line, and didn't really allow him to finish. Very unfortunate, and very impolite.
Most of my group didn't move. There were over 700 people and within seconds the line was around the auditorium, out the door and wrapping around to the second level. So we just sat in our seats and patiently waited for things to clear out, the whole time talking and making plans for the John Rhys-Davies event tomorrow, Oscar Party, and Ring Con, and of course anything at all related to LotR.
Also, our group made a card for Andy. Several of the people had been down at the Oscar party last year and had a picture taken with him. So they had put the picture on a beautiful hand made card, and our group had all signed it and one of our members gave it to him once they got up for the autographs.
The rules of the signing were that he would sign his book and one other piece of memorabilia as long as it wasn't a book. Found out later that it was specific to a Lord of the Rings book. There were to be no personal pictures taken with him, due to time. You could take pictures of him, but he didn't have time to stop and pose. Also, he would not be able to do recordings for answering machines and websites and such.
He didn't always stick to the rules. I saw him pose for a few photos, not with anyone, but he himself, and saw him speak into one tape recorder. Two of our group members did get him to sign their Lord of the Rings book and one of the signings choked several of us up. (Yes, we are all saps!)
I got the book and my fan club magazine with Gollum on the cover signed. *happy joyful sound of glee escapes* Yes, I am a child!
It took about 2 hours for the crowd to clear out. We were one of the lasts to get the autograph, but it was well worth it. Since we were obviously all a group and great fans, and very polite, he took a group photo with us at the end. Very very cool!!!!
He gave several of us hugs as he left, and we tried to convince him to come to Ringcon. He seemed to have a fabulous time in Seattle, so we shall see.
It was a wonderful time. As someone else said on the boards after they got home; I don't know what I had expected going into it, but it went above and beyond my expectations.
If anyone, EVER has a chance to see him. Drop everything and go. He is fabulous and I think one of the most gifted, talented people I have ever seen. I feel greatly honored to have had such an amazing opportunity.