The Tolkien universe’s biggest scholar isn’t Peter Jackson, or Ian McKellen or even the ghost of JRR Tolkien himself; it’s Stephen Colbert, and the world’s most unapologetic fanboy had all of his Middle Earth fantasies come true by finally becoming part of the story he so desperately loves.
If you looked closely enough during The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, you might have noticed a hooded spy in the Laketown scene with an oddly familiar, funny face. That would be Colbert making his cameo in the second installment in the Hobbit trilogy, and if IMDB is to be believed, he’ll be back at it again for an unknown part in the third and final film.
If you’re not recognizing the scene from the small glimpse given of Colbert’s face, it’s the part where the dwarves are sneaking into Laketown. Bard’s sons stop them and say that spies are watching the house. After this line, Bard and his son are shown walking past his house by themselves and a camera pans to the spy – Colbert – watching them closely as he whips around, an eyepatch falling into place. Watch this GIF of the moment for a close-up on the cameo, courtesy of SlashFilm.
Colbert’s wife and two sons also had blink-and-you’ll-miss roles as Laketown spies. And of course, Peter Jackson was there in the beginning, chewing away on a carrot.
Can you imagine how lengthy Colbert’s next salute to Tolkien is going to be on his show after this experience?
