SUMMARY
  • Even though Andy Serkis has featured in a lot of projects, he will always be remembered as the iconic Gollum.
  • Serkis showed everyone that CGI characters could also be compelling.
  • However, to get into the character from 'The Lord of the Rings', Andy Serkis had to go through a lot of torture.

Andy Serkis gained massive popularity after playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He brought a change in the film industry with a CGI character that is so relatable and compelling. Serkis has been a part of many prestigious projects, including The Planet of the Apes franchise but he will always be recognized as Gollum.

Andy Serkis on The Late Show
Andy Serkis on The Late Show | Credits: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Serkis is known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters. However, the 60-year-old actor had to go through quite a torturous process to become the character Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. In a 2021 interview, he opened up about the preparations for becoming Gollum, and it might leave you shocked.

How did Andy Serkis prepare for his character in The Lord of the Rings?

Andy Serkis as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings
Andy Serkis as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings | Credits: New Line Cinema

It has been quite a torturous journey for Andy Serkis to get under the skin of Gollum. Once a hobbit-like creature turned into a pitiful creature after encountering One Ring is Gollum. In a conversation with The Guardian, the motion-capture legend talked about how he walked on all fours to get into that body language. Explaining the process, he further added,

I used to walk on all fours off set when we were filming Lord of the Rings. I spent a lot of time in preparation for that [as Gollum]; I would go off for walks on all fours for hours. I did occasionally come into contact with other people, so I just had to pretend I was looking for something. It’s fair to say that’s pretty method.

In the same interview, when the actor was asked how he dealt with the fame that came with LOTR, he shared that it would have been difficult if he gained this amount of fame in his younger days. Serkis said, “I’m grateful it happened when it did. It was an extraordinary time; so many things came out of that experience and whether I like it or not that role lives with me on a daily basis. It will never go away.”

The actor has quite a range in his filmography. Serkis has also tried his hands in filmmaking and directed Breathe, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and more.

Has his performance in motion-capture ever affected his physical health?

Andy Serkis on The Graham Norton Show
Andy Serkis on The Graham Norton Show | Credits: BBC

Andy Serkis has performed in motion-capture characters in many films. Once, a fan had asked him whether this affected his physical health or not, and the actor had responded by saying (via The Guardian),

It’s kept me fit, especially the more physical roles like Caesar [in the Planet of the Apes films], who goes from an infant chimpanzee right through into adulthood. I’ve always been quite a physical person and enjoy mountaineering, climbing and cycling. But those roles take it out of you, for sure.

Well, that’s right. Among all of his characters, Gollum was probably one of the toughest and most unique characters to portray on-screen. Initially, Serkis was supposed to lend his voice to the character. However, he eventually became more attached to the role, and instead of just voicing him, Andy Serkis became the hobbit-like creature for the The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

But, did you know who inspired Serkis to give such a gruff voice to Gollum? Well, it was his cat Dizz. The Black Panther actor explained at Awesome Con, “My cat came in and literally coughed up a fur ball in front of me. Gospel truth, this is absolutely true, I watched his back rippling, and I just thought, ‘That’s brilliant. I really like that. I love this. I love this.’

Stream The Lord of the Rings trilogy on Prime Video and Netflix.

Explore from around the WEB