Andy Serkis has become synonymous with motion-capture acting, as he has used the technology in nearly a dozen roles. Twentieth Century Fox hopes to make him the first actor nominated for an Oscar who used the motion-capture technology in his performance.
The studio will campaign for Serkis and the entire cast of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" in the supporting categories for the 2015 Academy Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Serkis' character, Caesar, is the first motion-capture character to stand out as the star of a film. Fox only avoided promoting Serkis for lead actor because of the crowded field this season.
The 50-year-old actor competed for the same nomination the first time he played Caesar in 2011 in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." The role did not get him a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the Critics Choice Awards in 2012.
Serkis mainstreamed mo-cap acting with roles like Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" trilogies, the titular character in "King Kong" and Captain Haddock in "The Adventures of Tintin." His work in the sensor-dotted suit will continue in the upcoming films "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens."
"I'm very pleased that motion capture technology has become standard," Serkis told The Daily Beast. "Every single nuance is now very closer to what I'm doing on set, which is very gratifying."
Serkis co-founded the London-based digital studio The Imaginarium with producer Jonathan Cavendish in 2011. The studio specializes in motion-capture technology, and recently worked with Mark Ruffalo for his role as the Hulk in the "Avengers" sequel. The Imaginarium provided an education for Ruffalo, as well as director Joss Whedon, to give credibility to the green giant against his more human superheroes.
"Previously, he would've walked onto a set and you've got Thor and all the other characters in their costumes looking magnificent, and then you'd have Mark in a grey motion-capture suit playing this enormous character, so it's about giving the actor the right atmosphere and credibility for the performance," Serkis said.
In addition to "Star Wars" and "Avengers," the British thespian is working to bring his own adaptation of the "Jungle Book" to the big screen. He plans to base his move on Rudyard Kipling's book compared to Jon Favreau's production that will adapt its story more from the 1967 Disney animated classic.
