Andy Serkis recalls his embarrassing first day of filming as Gollum – full of doubt, incomprehension, and ridicule. He recently recounted at a panel in Chicago how this derided moment evolved into a revolutionary film character.
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| Image Credit: New Line Cinema |
The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is considered a milestone in modern film history. Peter Jackson's visionary adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic not only brought a fantasy universe of unprecedented detail to the screen in the early 2000s, but also significantly advanced the technical development of cinema.
In addition to monumental landscapes, epic battles, and an emotional hero's journey, one character in particular shaped the collective cinematic consciousness: Gollum – a creature torn between compassion and madness.
The fact that Gollum became one of the trilogy's most memorable figures is largely thanks to the British actor Andy Serkis. Celebrated today as a pioneer of motion-capture acting, his work was difficult to categorize when filming began in 2000.
Ridicule and Mockery on the First Day of Shooting for Gollum
Together with former collaborators, Serkis looked back on the making of the films at a large "Lord of the Rings" reunion panel at C2E2 2025 in Chicago – and recalled a moment that epitomized the initial lack of understanding of his work (via Popverse).
"When I arrived in New Zealand, the others had already been shooting for four or five months," Serkis recalled. "I was still in the middle of preparing for Gollum, doing a lot of rehearsals on my own, crawling around, practicing. [...] And then the day came." At the time, the concept of motion capture was unfamiliar, so his performance in a skin-tight full-body suit initially caused a lot of confusion on set.
"Films aren't shot chronologically, and my first scene was number 765 from the third film," Serkis said. "So I crawled onto the set and basically became Gollum with my Lycra suit, and I slipped into character. And then Peter Jackson started laughing at me." The reaction of the director and the other people present remained etched in his memory. "The whole crew was probably like, 'Who is this guy and what the hell is he doing here? Can you please take him out of the frame? We're going to shoot here,'" the actor said.
"We shot the scene, and it was a very beautiful thing, but it took months of preparation, and then I stood there. And I had to laugh when I saw Peter standing in front of me, giggling like a child, because this Gollum character was being brought to life, but all you saw was this guy with a shaved head in this very thin suit, [making Gollum noises, ed.]," Serkis recalled.
What seemed like an absurd joke would later set a standard. Serkis's performance, combined with the most advanced CGI, gave Gollum a depth that was previously unimaginable for digital characters. In retrospect, the situation seems almost ironic—because it was precisely this derided approach that shaped an entire genre.
Andy Serkis became synonymous with the art of motion capture
Whether as Caesar in "Planet of the Apes," King Kong, or Supreme Leader Snoke in "Star Wars" – his ability to breathe life into digital characters with his voice and body brought him not only critical acclaim but also an international career. He is now also in demand as a director, for example, on "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" (2021).
The fact that Jackson laughed at Gollum's first appearance on set shows how curiosity, ignorance – and a touch of mockery – could lead to one of the most impressive performances in recent film history. And anyone who knows Peter Jackson knows: He was always up for a bit of mischief – just like some of his Middle-earth stars, who later made surprise cameos in one of the best action comedies of all time.
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