Getting Serkis to ‘Breathe’ is easy, but he’s cagey about the ‘Jedi’ guy
NEW YORK Hollywood’s go-to motion-capture talent, Andy Serkis ( The Lord of the Rings, King Kong), has stepped behind the camera for his directorial debut.
Breathe (now in New York and Los Angeles; adds cities Friday) tells the true story of Robin Cavendish (played by Andrew Garfield), who contracted polio in 1958 and was paralyzed from the neck down. With the help of wife Diana (Claire Foy) and a ventilator, he lived for more than 30 years and made important strides in the disabled community.
Serkis, 53, sat down with USA TODAY for a conversation about his current projects. Q You developed Breathe with Jonathan Cavendish, Robin and Diana’s son. Why did it seem the right film for your directorial debut? A I’ve
played Ian Drury (in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll), a punk rocker who had polio. Then when I read the script, it was so powerful and affected me emotionally.
My mum taught disabled children, so I grew up with children who had polio. Then my sister contracted multiple sclerosis, and (I’ve seen) how she gets about in a wheelchair in 2017. It’s difficult enough now, but (Robin and Diana) were mavericks and pioneers.
Q You’ve also directed Jungle Book (Oct. 19, 2018). How does your take differ from Disney’s live-action remake of the animated film?
A It’s an entirely live-action movie, shot on location in South Africa. It’s all performance capture. It’s a Mowgli-centric story about identity and it’s darker.
Q We got a better glimpse of Supreme Leader Snoke in the new trailer for Star War: The Last Jedi. Does he play a larger part here than he did in The Force Awakens?
A I can’t give too much away, but he has a more significant role and he is a very damaged character that means to seek control. ... I really enjoyed playing him this time around. There was more to dig my teeth into.
Q Your character, Caesar, died at the end of War for the Planet of the Apes. If there are future installments, will you still be involved?
A The great thing about performance capture is that you can come back as anything, so there may well be a role to do.
I mourn the loss of him, but there’s potential for more great stories. It would be fascinating to see when power falls into the hands of the apes and humans essentially become their cattle.
Q Largely because of your performances, many people have said there should be a separate Oscar category for motion capture. Do you agree?
A Absolutely not. I firmly believe that it should just be treated as acting. There’s no difference in preparing for and becoming the character I play in Black Panther, Ulysses Klaue, and the way I turn up on set and play Caesar. ... Motion capture is not a genre or certain type of acting — it’s a technology that films you in a different way.