While Andy Serkis may not be a household name in everyone's digs, it most surely is for those in the geek set. The man, along with the aid of Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson, has brought motion-capture acting to the forefront of the movie business in recent years. And in just a couple of weeks, audiences will bear witness to what is buzzing about to be the performance of the year as Serkis will be reprising his role as Caesar in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." The film only has five reviews up on Rotten Tomatoes so far, but it is holding steady at 80% for now. Many of these reviews point to Serkis' performance as the CGI ape as the film's highlight.
There is no doubt that 2014 is set to be a big year for Serkis, but 2015 is shaping up to be even bigger. Not only will he be in the new "Star Wars," but in an interview with Variety, Serkis confirmed that he is involved in the production of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in a secret role.
"I’m not at liberty to mention. But it’s all the same to me. I’ve never drawn a distinction when playing a role, whether it be live action or performance capture. Acting is acting. It’s just basically what you wear to the set that’s different," Serkis said when asked whether or not audiences will actually get to see his face in either movie.
It turns out, in addition to playing a role in the new "Avengers," Serkis will also guide Mark Ruffalo through the daunting motion-capture acting process for the character of the Hulk.
"Performance capture was used on the previous 'Hulk,' but not to the same extent Mark is using it now. There are tools and ways of working with an actor that makes them feel that they own the character. And a character the size of the Hulk needs ownership, which Mark has now," Serkis explained during the interview.
If there is a Meryl Streep for motion-capture acting, Andy Serkis is it. After starting in stage design, Serkis got the acting bug and began performing in some of the most well-known European theaters. It was the end of the '90s when Serkis began his partnership with Peter Jackson, which brought his career to new heights. Their partnership includes blockbusters such as "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy," the remake of "King Kong" and the new "Hobbit" films.
His role as Caesar in "Dawn" is building lots of internet buzz about how he could be the first non-traditional acting Oscar winner. That is some seriously rarefied air to be in when you can only think of one actor for a specific part. Along with the "Apes," "Avengers" and Star Wars," Serkis will actually be stepping behind the camera as the director of an adaptation of George Orwell's "Animal Farm" this year as well.
