Andy Serkis is a master of motion capture but it did not happen overnight. The actor gave it all, even risking bodily harm to give the perfect performance. Nothing embodies that feeling more than the extreme preparation Andy did to prepare for Gollum in LOTR.
Before the masses even knew what motion capture in a movie was Andy Serkis was pioneering the field. From bulbs all over the body to now stickers and markers, the field of motion capture has changed but Andy Serkis’ contribution to the field cannot be understated.
For all intents and purposes, Andy Serkis brought motion capture to the masses. His work in Lord of the Rings was awe-inspiring and over the years he has only perfected the work done on the set of LOTR. But technology alone cannot be relied on, human dedication helps perfect technology, and Any did not leave anything to chance when he was hired to play the now legendary character of Gollum.
Andy Serkis’ Extreme Preparation for the Role of Gollum in LOTR
Gollum is one of the most beloved characters in the Lord of the Rings series. While Gollum may be the villain? in the series there is a massive following for the character and most of the credit goes to Andy Serkis who brought the character to life.
The role of Gollum shot Andy to worldwide success, so much so that 650,000+ people showed up online to hear him read The Hobbit book during the COVID pandemic. The work in LOTR has also resulted in the actor getting his own motion capture studio which is in high demand from Marvel to Disney movies.
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We can say it all started with the hard work Andy put in during his time playing Gollum in LOTR. The actor took it all seriously and since he needed to give the movement to the character Andy practiced everything from the small crouch to walking on all fours.
“I used to walk on all fours offset when we were filming Lord of the Rings. I spent a lot of time in preparation for that. 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,” the actor said.
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Andy later went on to play King Kong in the hit 2005 movie of the same name. He was also snubbed by the Oscars for his excellent acting in the Planet of the Apes trilogy. Recently Andy appeared as Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and played Ballu in the Netflix movie Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle.
Gollum brought the actor fame but he has only built on that success. Everyone should note that a lot of hard work went into the actor’s dedication towards motion capture and CGI. It is a shame that Andy has yet to receive an Oscar for his contribution to the motion capture area as a whole.
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Andy is currently working on his directorial venture Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The filming on the film was mostly finished by the time the pandemic hit and Andy’s team were already working on post-production. Venom: Let There Be Carnage will be released on 25 June 2021.
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Andy Serkis Gollum Lord of the Rings LOTR
Last modified: May 2, 2021
