>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WE'RE P BACK HERE WITH ANDY
SERKIS, FROM THE NEW MOVIE "THE BATMAN."
IN MAY OF 2020, LIKE-- LIKE MANY PEOPLE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
COVID PANDEMIC, PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
THEY WANTED TO CREATE ART.
THEY WANTED TO O THINGS TO HELP FUND RAISE FOR CHARITIES.
YOU DID THIS EXTRAORDINARY THING, WHICH IN MAY 2020, YOU
READ "THE HOBBIT" IN ONE SITTING ON A LIVE STREAM FOR CHARITY.
HOW-- I HEARD CLIPS OF IT.
HW LONG DID THAT TAKE YOU TO DO?
>> ALL TOGETHER IT WAS ABOUT 11 FOURS AND FOUR, FIVE MINUTES
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: HOW OFTEN WOULD YOU STOP?
>> WELL, I-- I LITERALLY-- I LITERALLY HAD FOUR TWO-MINUTE
BREAKS THROUGHOUT -- >> Stephen: FOR 11 HOURS.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
I WANT IT TO FEEL LIKE-- YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND IT
WAS TO TAKE EVERYBODY-- LIKE YOU SAY, EVERYONE WAS TRAPPED
INDOORS AND NOBODY COULD GO ANYWHERE, AND WHAT BETTER THAN
TO GO ON A QUEST A JOURNEY INSIDE YOUR MIND.
AND I THOUGHT IF I COULD AT LEAST TAKE KIDS OFF PARENTS'--
YOU KNOW, WHO MUST HAVE BEEN GOING CRAZY AT THIS POINT-- SIT
THEM DOWN.
MY WHOLE THINKING WAS IF THEY COULD SIT THEIR KIDS SIT DOWN
AND LISTEN FOR 11 HOURS IT WOULD LET THEM DO SOMETHING ELSE.
>> Stephen: PEOPLE LOVED THIS SO MUCH-- AND I THINK THIS IS A
GREAT IDEAUE HAVE NOW DONE-- RECORDED THE FULL AUDIO BOOKS OF
"THE HOBBIT" AND THE "LORD OF THE RINGS" TRILOGY FOR AUDIBLE.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO RETURN TO MIDDLE EARTH FOR THAT
ENTIRE THING?
>> I HAVE TO SAY, I'VE PLAYED SOME PRETTY PHYSICAL PARTS IN MY
TIME, BUT SITTING IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE FOR SIX WEEKS TO
RECORD "LORD OF THE RINGS" IN ITS ENTIRETY I THINK WAS ONE OF
THE MOST DRAINING AND MENTALLY EXHAUSTING.
AUDIO BOOKS, THEY'RE NOT EASY THINGS.
I'M A PHYSICAL ACTOR, BUT, ACTUALLY, IT'S A KIND OF-- IT'S
A TEST ALL ON ITS OWN.
AND THE LEVELS THAT YOU-- THE EMOTIONAL JOURNEY.
AND, ALSO, I WAS SORT OF CHANNELING MY FRIENDS WHO HAD
ACTED WITH IT, YOU KNOW, FOR SOME OF IT, AND MAKING UP NEW
VOICES AS WELL.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU DIFFERENTIATE THE VOICES?
I HAVE A PROP BACK HERE THAT I WAS TOLD TO GIVE YOU, BUT I
DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO WITH THIS.
HOW WOULD YOU DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE VOICES, KEEPING THEM
CLEAR.
THERE ARE HOW MANY CHARACTERS?
>> I THINK ALL IN ALL, THERE ARE 132 CHARACTERS.
SO-- OF COURSE SOME OF THEM ONLY APPEAR ONCE AND THEY'RE SORT
OF-- YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SORT OF WINGING IT IN A WAY AND KIND OF
IMPROVISING STUFF.
OTHER CHARACTERS, OBVIOUSLY, RETURN.
AND THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD REALLY, REALLY REMEMBER
EVERYBODY WAS BY A PHYSICAL KIND OF APPROXIMATION TO WHERE THE
MICROPHONE WAS.
FOR INSTANCE, GANDALF WOULD ALWAYS BE UP HERE, AND-- I WAS
TRYING TO MAKE IT A BIT MORE ORIGINAL.
I WASN'T FULL ON-- FULL ON "YOU SHALL NOT PART."
AND THEN ELRON, WHO IS MORE KIND OF-- HE WAS MORE HERE, AND I
ALWAYS DID THIS WITH MY RIGHT HAND AND GAVE HIM A LITTLE
BIT... AND EVERY TIME I MOVED MY HAND LIKE THAT, IT WOULD GET ME
BACK INTO CHARACTER.
AND HE WAS LIKE THIS, BECAUSE HE WAS REALLY PISSED OFF THAT HE
COULDN'T QUITE REACH THE MICROPHONE.
AND OF COURSE--
AND THEN GOLLUM WAS SORT OF KIND OF REALLY-- WELL, GOLLUM WAS ON
THE SIDE AND SMEIGLE WAS ON THIS SIDE.
AND HE WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE...
THEY'RE GOING TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS?
SANCTIONS, MY PRECIOUS.
IF THEY DO ANYTHING, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE THEM ( BLEEP ) BACK.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
THEATERS FRIDAY IN "THE BATMAN."
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH RUSSIA EXPERT FIONA HILL.
ANDY SERKIS.
THANK YOU, SIR.
♪ ♪ ♪