Andor Showcases Andy Serkis’ Raw Acting Talent Without VFX – CNET – ApparelGeek

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Andor Episodes 1-9.Of Stellan Skarsgard at Catherine Hunter, Andor introduced a number of recognizable players into the star wars universe. At the same time, it also welcomed some familiar faces, such as Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Whitaker Forest like Saw Gerrera, and diego moon like the eponymous Cassien Andor. Another notable actor, however, has the great honor of returning to the galaxy to play an entirely new character from his old franchise entries.

Andy Serkiswho portrayed Supreme Leader Snoke in the force awakens and The Last Jedi, plays Kino Loy in the Disney+ series. Unlike Snoke and many other roles that Serkis is best known for, Loy is not a motion capture creation. He is not an alien, an ape or a disfigured hobbit, but a simple man. Thus, Serkis makes a rare appearance in the flesh of this character, providing the long-awaited assurance that this consummate comedian is capable of delivering a memorable and impactful performance, even in the absence of digital effects.

RELATED: Andor’s Andy Serkis Reveals His Character’s Backstory, and It Might Surprise You

Andy Serkis first showed off his skills as a motion capture performer

Gollum Andy Serkis

Serkis made a name for himself as a pioneer in motion capture performance in 2002, when he portrayed Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. At the time, the visual effects used to bring the fantasy character to life were groundbreaking, mixing CGI with real-time performance to create something never before seen. From there, Serkis seemed to get comfortable in the motion capture suit, donning it again to play the titular gorilla in peter jacksonit is King KongCaesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy, Gollum once again in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeyand finally Snoke in the star wars sequel trilogy. In between, he also lent his unique motion-capture skills to Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintinand Baloo in Mowgli: Legend of the Junglewhich he also did.

These roles have made Serkis one of the most profitable actors in the business. However, they also made him a very controversial talent. Because so many of Serkis’ iconic roles are highly digitized, some viewers question the integrity of his performance, saying that character credibility comes more from digital effects than from acting. For example, despite immense praise, Serkis received minimal acting accolades for his performance as Gollum. Some moviegoers simply argue that his contribution to the character was only partial, and therefore not enough to fully appropriate the role. Over the years, the actor has delivered a few simple, human performances, including playing Claw in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Alfred in The Batman. However, these roles are often not as memorable or dynamic as his more computerized outings.

‘Andor’ breaks the mold thanks to Kino Loy

andor-episode-8-andy-serkis-social-featured
Picture via Disney+

Andor thus breaks the barrier with Kino Loy, giving Serkis the chance to play a complex, emotional, and narratively significant human being without any fantasy effects. As a character, Loy’s background is rather ambiguous. It appears for the first time in AndorThe eighth episode of Narkina, after an arrested Cassian arrives at the Imperial Prison Complex of Narkina 5. Loy leads the factory unit where Cassian is forced to work. A prisoner himself, Loy demands high productivity in the field, fearing that any mishaps or procrastination will interfere with his fast approaching release date.

The character is assertive, meticulous and vaguely mysterious. Serkis nevertheless endows him with a nuanced empathy and vulnerability. In episode eight, whenever fellow inmates talk about the prison’s increased sentences, Loy erupts, showing a latent fear of never earning his freedom. This surfaces more emotionally at the end of episode nine, when the elderly prisoner, Ulaf, suffers a stroke and dies. After compassionately pleading for Ulaf’s life with the prison doctor, Loy learns that no one really gets out of Narkina 5 at the end of their sentence. For the Empire, the lives of these prisoners are totally disposable, and the grim implications of this are clearly communicated on Serkis’ terrified face at the end of the episode.

Not only does Serkis successfully portray Loy’s layered emotions as organic, but he manages to steal almost every scene he’s in. Loy obviously isn’t the show’s main character, but even when he shares the screen with Cassian, he seems to command the most attention through his sharp dialogue and ferocious intensity. Obviously, Serkis doesn’t have to be a 25-foot-tall gorilla to have a huge screen presence. He may as well get along with pure humanity.

Given how Episode 9 ended, Loy’s character is likely to become even more complex as the series develops. As Cassian plots an escape and all hope of freedom is dashed, it’s high time for Loy to break her commitments to the prison system and join the most rebellious inmates. Unlike his role as Snoke, Loy will give Serkis the chance to act on the heroic side of Star Wars. Also, if a breakout is imminent before AndorAt the end of Serkis’ first season, Serkis may be able to deliver a few lopsided moments as Loy, bringing home his ability to handle the play of emotions as a fully human character.

In today’s world of ubiquitous CGI, it seems rather silly for anyone to be surprised by Serkis’ stellar acting skills. After all, if performances were irrelevant in motion capture characters, then why would such roles fall to accomplished actors? Why would the movies bother the cast Marc Ruffalo like Hulk, Josh Brolin like Thanos, Zoe Saldana like Neytiri, or Benedict Cumberbatch like Smaug? This is because these roles require talent, and in some cases even require additional talent considering the physics that motion capture often requires. Take Gollum, for example. The creature’s distinctive eye movements and physical gestures are all elements that Serkis brought to the character, and the digital effects team – much like an actor’s makeup artist or wardrobe department – brought them to life. refined and accentuated for the final product.

Motion capture characters can be completed on computers, but they are born and bred by human performance. Therefore, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Serkis, the man who breathed life into Gollum, Kong, and Caesar, is able to play a more grounded character like Loy with so much dignity.

We wish to thank the author of this short article for this incredible content

Andor Showcases Andy Serkis’ Raw Acting Talent Without VFX – CNET – ApparelGeek