From Middle‑Earth to the Spider‑Venom World: Andy Serkis Makes the Leap
Why the fantastical backdrop of “Lord of the Rings” matters for a comic‑book sequel
Andy Serkis, the 57‑year‑old actor who gave life to Gollum in Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy, says he used his own experience with dual personalities to guide Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. “I could relate to all the challenges they might face,” he told Empire, adding that the characters’ internal battles are a bit different, but the underlying idea is the same.
Directing the Symbiote Duo (and keeping it real)
Although the film’s monstrous companion might look like something out of a CGI playground, Serkis steered it with a sprinkle of old‑school pragmatism:
- No performance capture. Tom Hardy has a unique workflow that didn’t fit the typical MOCAP pipeline.
- The actor talked to a wraith‑version of Venom on set, recording a “scratch” take. This audio was fed into an earpiece, letting Hardy react in real time.
- “The soundscape was the driver for the placement of the CG character,” Serkis mused, praising how audio can shape visual storytelling.
Re‑entering a Familiar Realm: The Audible Gollum
Not only did Serkis star as Gollum in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but recently he lent his voice to the Audible audiobook of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. The session was, as he put it, “emotionally moving.”
Six hectic weeks, eight hours a day, alone in front of a mic: “It was exhausting,” he laughed. “But it was also a deep, nostalgic pilgrimage back to a world I’d lived through before.”
Key Takeaway
Whether it’s a sprawling fantasy saga or a sci‑fi superhero film, Serkis reminds us that the journey of a character—especially one split in two—stays the same. And with a bit of humor, emotional honesty, and a fair amount of hands‑on rehearsal, any movie can bring that internal battle to life.
