Anya Taylor-Joy Admits She Hasn't Read the Lord of the Rings Books

Anya Taylor-Joy has admitted she has yet to crack open J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” despite landing a role in Andy Serkis’s upcoming franchise entry, “The Hunt for Gollum.” Speaking to Variety at the premiere of Apple TV’s “Lucky,” the actress said she plans to start reading soon, a disclosure that has drawn attention given the intensity of Tolkien fandom.

“I’m about to read the books now, actually,” Taylor-Joy said. She traced her hesitation back to childhood, when she believed loyalty to “Harry Potter” ruled out an interest in Middle-earth. “Nobody told me that. I just came up with that on my own,” she said, adding that watching the original film trilogy during the pandemic changed her mind. “Turns out you can love both, and you should.”

Taylor-Joy will play Seren, a Sindar Elf from the Woodland Realm described in casting materials as a trusted, lethal operative serving King Thranduil, a character played by Lee Pace. Her casting, announced in June, places her alongside newcomers Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall and Jamie Dornan, the last of whom steps into the role of Aragorn previously held by Viggo Mortensen. Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood return as Gandalf and Frodo.

Reflecting on landing the part, Taylor-Joy leaned into humor rather than reverence for the source material. “If my tombstone can say ‘Lethal Elf,’ I feel like I did a good job on this planet,” she said.

Serkis, who directs the film and reprises his role as Gollum, has addressed the Aragorn recasting on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, saying Mortensen remains supportive. “We are thrilled that Jamie’s doing it,” Serkis said. “And, by the way, so is Viggo.”

“The Hunt for Gollum” marks Taylor-Joy’s third franchise role for Warner Bros., following “Furiosa” and the studio’s “Dune” films. It reunites key figures from Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, including Jackson himself as producer alongside screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. The six existing “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films have grossed close to $6 billion worldwide, a box-office legacy the new installment will aim to extend when it reaches theaters on December 17, 2027.