Peter Jackson prefers an intimate Gollum scene in The Lord of the Rings

According to AlloCiné, Peter Jackson indicated that his favorite scene from The Lord of the Rings is neither a battle nor a confrontation with the Balrog, but the dialogue between Gollum and Sméagol while Frodo and Sam sleep nearby. He explained to Stephen Colbert in December 2020 that this sequence was filmed late during the shooting of The Two Towers to make the character's inner conflict visible.

The scene was written and directed by Fran Walsh, co-screenwriter and the director's partner. It was shot with bumps under a blanket, without the main actors, on a small set. Jackson first mentioned the sequence from the Mines of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring, before clarifying that it is indeed Gollum's discussion that moves him the most.