Andy Serkis Will Read the Entire ‘Hobbit’ Live for Charity

By Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg
Published May 7, 2020, 9:51 a.m. ET

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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Prepare for the “Hobbitathon.” On Friday, The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis will be giving a continuous, live reading of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in order to raise money for charity. The live streamed event will last around 12 hours, assuming Serkis can follow through on his plan to take zero breaks from reading. That said, if you’ve ever wanted to see Andy Serkis’ bathroom, now is probably your chance.

Serkis first announced plans for his Hobbit read-a-thon this morning. “I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written,” he tweeted alongside a photo of Gollum, his LOTR character, wearing massive headphones. “Join me for a 12-hour armchair marathon reading of The Hobbit, in aid of two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those in need.”

The actor has asked viewers to donate to British nonprofits Best Beginnings and NHS Charities Together via a GoFundMe page, which goes into greater detail about the “Hobbitathon” event. Serkis explains that he will update the GoFundMe page with a link to the live stream reading, so viewers should donate in advance to stay up to date. “If we hit our target of £100,000, there may be a special surprise later in our journey,” writes the Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes star. As of Thursday morning, the event has already raised over £26,000 from just 1,600 people, so Serkis should have no problem hitting his £100,000 goal.

Andy Serkis’ cover to cover reading of The Hobbit begins at 10 a.m. GMT (London time), or 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT. While this means American Lord of the Rings fans will have to wake up pretty early — and those on the West Coast will have to stay up late — it’s undoubtedly worth it to see Serkis relive his Gollum days. And again, how many other opportunities will you have to see Serkis’ bathroom?

For more on Andy Serkis’ “Hobbitathon,” as well as live stream information, head to his GoFundMe page.

Where to stream The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey