What was it like playing Gollum in ‘LOTR’? The actor has revealed the dark side of the role

Andy Serkis, one of the leading actors in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, is popularly known for giving life to Gollum in the series Recently, the actor has revealed that, initially, there were a number of people who ridiculed him for it.

The technique used to bring his strange villain to life marked a before and after in the film industry. Now, Serkis has reflected on it in an interview and on the skepticism that reigned among his colleagues at that time.

“When the production of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ started, there were people who said to me: ‘What is that character? Is he a dancer? A contortionist?’” Serkis commented to G.Q..

Speaking in more depth about his teammates’ reactions (towards the motion capture technique), Serkis recalled: “The most veteran actors told me: ‘Not even dead would I make a movie like that. It is the end of our profession.‘ I literally heard someone say that to me.”

“There were a lot of jokes about it. You know, jokes on Saturday night Livepeople dressed up with attached ping pong balls… It was ridiculous – and rightly so.”

Despite everything, he who laughs last, laughs best. To this day, films such as Marvel or ‘Avatar’ use this technology for their productions. Serkis himself continued his path within the interpretation with this technique in other titles such as ‘King Kong’, ‘Planet of the Apes’ or ‘Star Wars’.

The actor also predicted that there would come a time when a performer would win an Oscar for a motion-captured performance, suggesting: “It hasn’t happened yet, but it will. I think it’s imminent.”

Among other ‘Lord of the Rings’ news, it was recently confirmed that more films based on the works of JRR Tolkien were being developed. This comes as a result of Warner Bros. Discovery’s agreement with the rights owners (Middle Earth Enterprises).

The original director, Peter Jackson, and screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have been involved.”every step of the way“, adding: “We’re looking forward to speaking with them to hear their views on moving the franchise forward.”