COVID-19 Update: Gollum Actor Reads 'The Hobbit' Online To Raise Money For Charity

The actor behind the world-famous fictional character Gollum, Andy Serkis, will be reading JRR Tolkien’s 1937 novel “The Hobbit” online to raise money for various charities. He will be reading the novel from start to finish, without taking any breaks.

The actor is best known for his portrayal of the tragic character Gollum, also known as Smeagol, in both the “Lord of the Rings” franchise and the “Hobbit” film series. The money that will be raised from his readings will be divided between Best Beginnings and NHS Charities, BBC reported.

Serkis' performance is expected to be 10 to 12 hours long. He said that he is doing it for people who are “struggling in isolation” during the lockdowns forced by COVID-19. He added that he would love to take people on a “12-hour armchair marathon” across Middle Earth while simultaneously raising funds for the charities, whose staff are currently frontliners and exposed to the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic.

Serkis called on fans of the series, as well as his own fans, to tune in during the presentation and send their donations to The Hobbitathon COVID 19 Appeal GoFundMe campaign, The Guardian reported. The actor has been an active supporter and ambassador of Best Beginnings, a charity that helps new parents, pregnant families, toddlers, and babies and aims to bring down inequality.

The livestream will start at 10 am BST/6 am EDT on Friday. Streaming details are available at his “Hobbitathon” GoFundMe page. The actor also took to Twitter to widen the reach of his appeal to those who are interested in listening.

Serkis’ campaign has now raised £29,065 of £100,000 goal.

According to the Daily Mail UK, the talented actor was seen helping filmmakers send messages of hope during the COVID-19 lockdown. The result of their efforts is a film called "The Making of Us," which the Gollum actor narrated.