Andy Serkis | Actor Appreciation

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Behind the Voice and Motion Capture

Known mostly by his work with motion capture, Andy Serkis has given award-winning performances through Gollum, Kong, and Caesar. With the 10th anniversary of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the recent release of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it's about time we look at the man behind the mocap.

Planet of the Apes

The character Caesar first appeared in the Escape of the Planet of the Apes (1971) and was originally portrayed by Roddy McDowall in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). Andy Serkis took up the mantle of the character in the 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the first installment of the reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise. Caesar is the main protagonist of the rebooted series, and we follow him through the fall of man and the rise of the apes.

Andy Serkis is able to capture the compassionate yet commanding presence of the character. Throughout the series, we watch the evolution of the character and the artistry of acting of Andy Serkis, not muddled behind, but through the motion capture. With the 10th anniversary of the second film in the series, we recommend having a Planet of the Apes marathon to commemorate Andy Serkis' work.

The Lord of the Rings

Even if you are not a The Lord of the Rings fan, you will most likely know Gollum and his "precious". Since 2001, Andy Serkis has played the character in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and in the Hobbit movies.

The best example of Andy Serkis's range as an actor is in his portrayal of the small, slimy creature. In the scene where Gollum and Sméagol (Gollum's other personality) have a fight about what to do with the nasty hobbits, he is able to balance the humor, the menace, the pathetic, and the turmoil of the character. At times, you may forget it is one actor during the entire scene. If you have not watched it before, we highly encourage you to check the scene out.