Andy Serkis is best known for his remarkable interpretation of the vengeful and obsessive Gollum in the groundbreaking Lord of the Rings screen trilogy (2001-03). Landing the role presented him with a formidable challenge: helping to bring to life a computer-generated character that was not just technically dazzling but emotionally credible. To play Gollum needed a performer with immense stamina and creativity, requirements which – for audiences and critics alike – Andy Serkis exceeded. But there is far more to Serkis than The Lord of the Rings. When he began work on the trilogy in 1999, he already had 15 years of experience in theatre, television and cinema, portraying characters who were eccentric, complex, and even monstrous. He was always determined to inject humanity and empathy into every part he played, no matter how flawed they may have seemed. It is this level of intensity and commitment that has enriched so many of his roles, from Bill Sykes to King Kong and from Albert Einstein to Ian Dury. Andy Serkis returned to the big screen in 2011 as Captain Haddock in the long-awaited The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn and is now preparing to revisit the persona of Gollum for the cinematic remake of The Hobbit. Author Justin Lewis examines the life and career to date of this most highly principled, hard-working and versatile of actors.
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Justin Lewis. Andy Serkis - The Man Behind the Mask
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
RUISLIP, BAGHDAD, LANCASTER
THE INVESTIGATOR: SERKIS AND STAGE WORK
LORRAINE
PUSHING THROUGH THE CAMERA: TELEVISION
THE LOW-BUDGET PRISON: EARLY FILM WORK
LORD OF THE RINGS I: CROUCHING ADDICT
LORD OF THE RINGS II: SERKIS IN MOTION
LORD OF THE RINGS III: THE PRIZE
CAPTURED ONCE MORE: KING KONG
NORMALISING THE EXTREME: ANDY SERKIS AND THE DARK SIDE
SERKIS AND BIOPICS
DURY
A STORYTELLER FROM THE OUTSIDE: SERKIS THE DIRECTOR
THE CGI CHAPLIN
CREDITS
STAGE
TELEVISION
FILM
FORTHCOMING / IN DEVELOPMENT (at time of writing):
VIDEOS/SHORT FILMS
AUDIO. RADIO/AUDIOBOOKS
ADVERTISING VOICEOVERS
GAMES
FURTHER READING
INDEX
Copyright
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Title Page
Introduction
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The boldness of Faust was a partial response to an uncertain, worrying period for the Lyric. It had not been long since it had narrowly escaped closure. For its artistic director, Peter James, it was a throwing-down of the gauntlet. If the Lyric was to exist, it would be through taking a risk with something like Faust. ‘Everyone walked tall after that and thought, Two fingers to the world – we’ve done something good.’
It is striking how many similarities a production like Faust shares with a project like the Lord of the Rings cinematic trilogy over a decade later: hard to realise convincingly as a spectacle, an epic length, a central complex character who requires great shifts of tone, and, perhaps above all else, a production that demanded that all involved should take risks. Reviewers for Faust did not call it flawless by any means, but most felt that it was well worth trying for the dazzling heights it did achieve, and despite any shortcomings that came about during the journey. Actors, directors, theatre companies, filmmakers – all must take risks from time to time.
