Serkis might be recognized
Master of motion-capture gets Oscar buzz
War for the Oscar nomination may be on for the actor’s mo-cap performance as ape leader Caesar
A familiar question is being asked about Andy Serkis’ starring role as ape leader Caesar in War
for the Planet of the Apes (in theaters Friday), his third and final film in the franchise.
It’s the same one we heard after he played Gollum in The Lord
of the Rings series, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the title role in King Kong. But it’s even louder this time.
When is Andy Serkis going to get awards respect?
Serkis, 53, is the master of acting in the special bodysuit and head-mounted camera used in motion-capture performances — work painstakingly enhanced to make him look like a giant gorilla, an ape revolutionary or whatever freak creature Gollum was.
But Serkis has thus far been shut out of Oscar acting nominations. That could change with the performance that concludes his six-year film run as Caesar.
“We seem to have this conversation with every Serkis film, that ends up nowhere,” says Pete Hammond, awards columnist for Deadline.com. “But this is a quintessential, almost Shakespearean performance. Does he deserve to be nominated? Absolutely! Will he? I won’t take that to the bank.”
Critics have rallied around Serkis this year, including USA TODAY’s Brian Truitt, who wrote: “It’s truly an injustice if Serkis’ third — and best — turn as Caesar doesn’t get a serious push.”
War could turn the tide for Serkis and future mo-cap performances, says Hammond, who expects 20th Century Fox to mount