Before Gollum became one of the most iconic CGI-enhanced characters in movie history, Andy Serkis had to jump into uncharted territory with motion caption acting set the bar for the industry.
But, on his first day playing the twisted creature on the set of The Lord of the Rings, Serkis was met not with awe, but with confusion… and laughter from director Peter Jackson.
At a recent Lord of the Rings reunion panel during the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Serkis reflected on the bizarre experience of stepping into Gollum’s skin for the very first time.
It was while he was shooting Return of the King, and Serkis was joining the production late, well after the rest of the cast and crew had already gotten into their rhythm. That made his entrance all the more awkward:
“Film is all shot out of order, and my first scene was 765 of film 3, and I remember crawling onto the set, and sort of becoming Gollum with my thin Lycra suit on, and then getting into character.
And then Peter Jackson laughing at me. All the crew were kind of going, ‘Who is that guy, and what the hell is he doing here? Can you get him out of shot because we want to shoot here.’ I don’t think anybody really knew what I was doing there on the very first day.”
Today, motion capture is a normal thing for big-budget filmmaking Avatar, Planet of the Apes, The Batman, even Cocaine Bear used mocap actors to bring creatures to life. But back in the early 2000s, it looked… weird. Especially when you’re decked out in a skintight Lycra suit growling like a goblin in front of a bunch of skeptical crew members.
It’s wild to think about now, Serkis, the guy who practically defined performance capture, getting side-eyed on set like he wandered into the wrong movie. And Jackson laughing at him… it must’ve all looked so strange to see in real life.
Regardless, Serkis’ portrayal of Gollum was awesome, and he not only helped ground the character with real emotional depth, it rewrote the rules of what acting could be. The entire landscape of performance capture acting shifted after The Lord of the Rings, and Serkis became its undisputed pioneer.
Serkis is new set to direct to direct the next chapter in the franchise with The Hunt For Gullom. He will also return to reprise his role as the twisted creature that started it all.
Via: Collider