Gollum wasn’t the first fully CGI character in a live action film- that honor belongs to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. However, Andy Serkis’ transformative work in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy brought a newfound respect to the cutting edge technology. Serkis proved that motion capture characters could be fully realized and emotionally compelling, and he continued to be a pioneer for the craft. Serkis became renowned for his next motion-capture roles in King Kong, Planet of the Apes, The Adventures of TinTin, and the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
However, Serkis' talents go far beyond his motion capture work. After working as a second unit director on The Lord of the Rings, Serkis launched a directorial career in which he stepped behind the camera to helm Breathe, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. None of this has ever indicated that Serkis is afraid to show his face either.
Regardless of what area he’s working in, Serkis has always been a brave performer. Here are his best non-mocap performances.
Topsy-Turvy (1999)
Mike Leigh frequently assembles a murderer’s row of great British actors for his films, and if his name wasn’t enough to wrangle in talent, the premise of Topsy-Turvy would be. The film centers on the groundbreaking work of the playwright W.S. Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) during the production of their masterwork The Mikado. Serkis appears as choreographer John D'Auban, one of the many pivotal artists that worked with the renowned duo. It's fascinating to see Serkis collaborate with other artists to perfect their craft, something he certainly had experience doing.
24 Hour Party People (2002)
24 Hour Party People is one of the most unusual musician biopics of all-time; presented as a fourth wall breaking living document, the film chronicles the rise and fall of the punk era through the perspective of journalist and Factory Records head Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan). The film zips through the history of infamous punk artists throughout the 70s and 80s, and Wilson offers lively commentary as he interacts with a variety of influential figures. Among them is Serkis in a particularly amusing role as Martin Hannett, the perpetually angry producer of Joy Division. Hannett couldn’t have less time for the obnoxious antics of either Wilson or his band.
The Prestige (2006)
Serkis has had many career highs, but a personal achievement was getting to meet his hero David Bowie on Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. Its fitting that Serkis’ character Mr. Alley is someone inspired by Bowie’s version of Nikola Tesla; Alley is a former corporate goon who takes a chance on Tesla’s exciting experiments. Alley is more than just Tesla’s assistant, but an extent of his illusion. He helps to mask some of the twists that both Tesla and Nolan have up their sleeves.
Inkheart (2008)
Of all the beloved novel series that failed to become franchises, Inkheart is one that deserved a second shot. Brendan Fraser stars as the bookworm Mortimer Folchart, who travels with his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) to the world of his favorite fantasy novel to rescue his wife Teresa (Sienna Guillory). The fairy tale characters from the book, aptly named Inkheart, come to life in a more realistic version of their adventures on the page. Serkis sinks his teeth into the role of the book’s villain Capricorn with a fun, scenery chewing performance as a medieval scoundrel.
Burke & Hare (2010)
For some reason, controversial Animal House and The Blues Brothers director John Landis decided late in his career to make a blackly comedic biopic of the 19th Century serial killers William Burke and William Hare. It’s unclear what Burke & Hare was trying to accomplish exactly, but Simon Pegg and Serkis have amusing chemistry as the titular pair regardless. While treating the true-crime story of how Burke and Hare sold corpses for forensic examination as a Coen Brothers-esque romp may not have been in the best taste, Pegg and Serkis ensure that the darkest jokes still land.
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll proved that Serkis could bring famous larger-than-life figures to life, regardless of weather or not he was using mocap. He plays the New Wave musician Ian Dury, and does incredible work on stage capturing his personality and doing his own singing. It was interesting to see Serkis in a film that's centered on the art of "performance" itself; Dury becomes consumed by the shackles of his public persona. It was also a demanding physical performance in its own right, as Dury suffered from serious illness and manic personality shifts.
Long Shot (2019)
Pardon the pun, but Long Shot deserves another shot. It’s rare to see a ‘90s style romantic comedy produced on a studio budget anymore, and Long Shot has a great premise. The film centers on a relationship between the Presidential candidate Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) and the journalist Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), two childhood friends who now face the burden of being the only honorable ones in their respective careers. The film is obviously loaded with political context, and Serkis’ media mogul Parker Wembley is a detestable antagonist for both characters. A Rupert Murdoch-esque tychon, Wembley purchases Flarsky’s publication and leads a propaganda campaign against Field.
Black Panther (2018)
While he popped up briefly in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Serkis had much more room to develop the character of black arms dealer Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther. Many sequences in Black Panther feel like the Marvel equivalent to James Bond, and Serkis is having a blast as an eccentric smuggler with advanced gadgets. The characters in Black Panther are quite complex, but Klaue is the exact type of low life scum that he presents himself as. He meets a fitting fate in one of the film’s more shocking moments.
The Batman (2022)
Serkis is the latest in a long line of great actors that have portrayed Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth. In The Batman, he’s tasked with protecting the legacy of the Wayne family, something Bruce (Robert Pattinson) comes to question for himself as he learns information about his parents from The Riddler (Paul Dano). The Batman refreshingly doesn’t show the murder of the Waynes yet again, but Alfred’s evident respect for his former employers is evident through Serkis’ sensitive performance. A heartbreaking hospital scene between Serkis and Pattinson is the rare heartfelt moment in the dark film.