When you watchThe Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, it is always incredible how you feelSauron’s presence throughout the film, even though you never see him as a physical entity, savethe Eye of Sauron. One reason this works so well, among many, is thatSauron is represented by other evil figures that carry different aspects of his villainy. TheMouth of Sauron (Bruce Spence)shows his manipulation, and the Witch King of Angmar, portrayed byLawrence Makoareand voiced byAndy Serkis, shows his omnipotent dominance.
However, the antagonist that represents the pure spite and cruelty of Sauron is Gothmog, played by Lawrence Makoare and voiced byCraig Parker, and he is also the one who stands out most because of it. Gothmog’s enjoyment of causing terror as he leads the armies ofMordor against Osgiliath and Minas Tirithis unforgettable, slowly twisting a spear in a soldier or telling his captain to “release the prisoners,” by which he means launching decapitated heads into Minas Tirith. The character is only ever alluded to in the books anddescribed as the lieutenant of Minas Morgul, but never confirmed as an orc. However, the way Jackson adapts the character is fascinating, with rumors about the character’s design.
Gothmog Gets His Name From a Captain of Morgoth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s World
We never get much information about Gothmog in J.R.R. Tolkien’sTheReturn of the King, and some even believe he wasn’t an orc at all — perhaps closer to a being like the Mouth of Sauron — but we do know about the history of this name, as this isn’t the first time a servant of darkness has used it as their moniker. In Tolkien’s lore, explored inThe Silmarillion,Gothmog was a Balrog in the First Age, and Captain of the Balrogs who served Morgoth from Angband. Similarly, Grond, which was the massive battering ram used by the orcs inTheReturn of the King,was a recycled name. This was originally the name of Morgoth’s weapon during the War of the Silmarils and was most famous for when it killed Fingolfin, the High King of the Noldor Elves, which was a devastating blow to the forces of good in that war. This repeated use of names from history is meant to strike fear into the people of Gondor, as well asMaiar such as Gandalf(IanMcKellen), who would certainly know this history.
InPeter Jackson’s adaptation, Gothmog most likely used his name as a nod to how crucial he saw himself to Sauron’s plan, as he sickeningly enjoys the idea that “the age of men is over, theage of the orchas begun.” What makes Gothmog so effective in this adaptation, along with the rest of the orcs inTheReturn of the King, is how they are differentiated fromthe Uruk-haiinTheLord of the Rings: The Two Towers, who are more animalistic. Instead,the heightened intelligence and sadism make them far more frighteningthan if they were simply more of the same we had already seen.
Rumors Still Circulate That Gothmog Could Have Been Designed to Look Like Harvey Weinstein
Perhaps one of the pieces of trivia about the trilogy that has only gotten better with time is the rumor thatGothmog’s design may have been based on the likeness of disgraced Hollywood producerHarvey Weinstein. It has never been confirmed if this design was specifically the one of Gothmog, butElijah Wooddid confirmduring theArmchair Expertpodcast that at least one of the orcs' designs was based on Weinstein as a “f*** you” to the producer. At the time, this was due to thetorrid dealings Jackson had while workingwith the producer at Miramax, when Weinstein originally wanted the trilogy to only be two films.
Many have assumed that the Weinstein design was Gothmog’s due to the vague resemblance, as well asWeinstein’s reprehensibly villainous nature. However, even without this rumor, Gothmog is still one of the best villains ofThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. The historical significance of his name is only matched by the visceral reaction we have when we watch him enjoy causing as much suffering as he possibly can. We may never know if Tolkien intended for him to be an orc, thoughJackson’s interpretation did a brilliant jobof making that decision to reflect a terrifying aspect of Sauron’s tyranny.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron’s army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
