The Underappreciated Genius: Andy Serkis

By Brian Frosti on July 28, 2014

Image via cbsnews.com

When the Oscars role around each year they bring along the annual “when will Leo win” jokes. Yes it’s true DiCaprio has never won an academy award, but his lack of hardware is far from the biggest crime the Academy has committed. Year in and year out one of the most talented actors in the business goes unnoticed.

Obviously, I’m talking about Andy Serkis.

Serkis is one of the most versatile and most unique actors working anywhere. He’s made appearances in just about everything, including live action movies like “The Prestige” and “13 Going on 30,” the animated film “The Adventures of Tintin,” and the miniseries “Little Dorrit.” But what Serkis is best known for is his unparalleled work in motion capture.

His most recent role, as Caesar in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” is perhaps his best to date, but his mo-cap cred runs far deeper than that. Serkis is the man behind another well-known movie ape, King Kong (2005), but he is most noted for his twisted portrayal of Gollum/Smeagol in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Serkis brings an element to blockbuster films that no one else is capable of. To put it simply, he is the master of motion capture, even founding his own mo-cap studio, The Imaginarium.

Without his skills it’s difficult to envision films like “Lord of the Rings” and “King Kong” as having anywhere near as much of an impact as they did. Serkis is capable of bringing an added dimension of life to characters that normally would be entirely CGI rendered.

But despite these accomplishments, the academy has never seen it fit to reward Serkis for his work. They apparently don’t seem to consider mo-cap “acting,” at least not on the same plane as the more traditional performances.

But even if the awards committees aren’t watching, the rest of the world clearly is. After his key motion capture work in half a dozen blockbuster films, Serkis is now being sought after to work his magic in even more franchises.

He, and his studio, have been hired to work on Marvel’s next team-up flick “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Serkis himself has been cast in an unspecified role, but his greatest contribution to the film has been as a teacher. He has been tutoring Mark Ruffalo in his craft so that the Avenger can give a more complete performance as The Incredible Hulk.

Image via wegotthiscovered.com

But it doesn’t stop there: Serkis has also been cast in another unspecified role for the upcoming “Star Wars: Episode VII.” Details remain thin, so there’s no telling just who, or what, Serkis will be playing, or even if it’s a mo-cap gig at all. However, it would feel like a waste of talent to not have him don the mo-cap suit for an imaginative world like “Star Wars.”

Andy Serkis’ influence on Hollywood is absolutely expanding–just look at the effect he had on his fellow ape actors in “Dawn”– so the next logical step would be some kind of award recognition. It’s getting harder and harder to ignore his performances; as was previously stated, his work on the latest “Plant of the Apes” prequel is nothing short of incredible. His ability to inhabit the role of Caesar is as challenging a role as there is in Hollywood, so why should he not be rewarded for it?

Now I’m not saying that without a doubt Andy Serkis has given the best performance of the year in “Dawn,” but it’s difficult to argue that it wasn’t one of them. As a movie fan, it’s hard to think of many performances this past year that were more impressive to me than Serkis’. Will he win the Oscar? Probably not, but stranger things have happened.

Bottom line, were I filling out an Oscars ballot, Andy Serkis’ name would absolutely be on my list. Of course I say that without having seen any of 2014’s Oscar flicks, but I stand by my statement. The acting world as a whole is richer for having Andy Serkis as a part of it, and his work in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is the pinnacle of his abilities.

It’s unlikely you’ll hear his name called at the award show, or even at the nominees announcement for that matter, but it doesn’t change the undeniable genius that is Andy Serkis: a genius the academy will hopefully warm up to.

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