Andy Serkis is "feeling the loss" of no longer playing Caesar in the ‘Planet of the Apes’ movies.
The 53-year-old actor provided the motion capture for the intelligent chimpanzee in the trilogy of rebooted movies based on the popular franchise which began with French author Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel ‘La Planète des Singes’, and was made famous by the 1968 film adaptation, ‘Planet of the Apes’.
And since the release of the final movie in the new trilogy ‘War For The Planet of the Apes’ earlier this year, Andy has admitted he is saddened by the fact he will no longer get the chance to bring Caesar to life.
He said: "I really feel the loss of not being able to play that character anymore. It’s been thrilling at every turn, and a real challenge; a massive challenge with each movie. There are key points along the way where he shifts and they’ve all been incredibly fascinating to chart."
The star admitted play the chimp was an "extraordinary journey", as it allowed him to explore the "human condition" in a unique way.
He added: "If that character was a human being, it would be an extraordinary journey. But as an ape and having that kind of filter, it’s that times 10 really; because we’re able to look at the human condition through the eyes of apes, it just elevates it into something else."
And Andy – who is known for playing motion capture roles such as Gollum in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ franchise – has slammed those who discredit motion capture acting, as he says the art form is "no different" than live-action acting.
Speaking to Deadline, he said: "There is no difference from an acting point of view. The approach is no different to a live-action role. It’s not standing in a voice booth for two hours every six months, it’s living with that character day-in and day-out on set for the entire duration of the shoot, living and breathing every single moment, making acting choices that you would do in the conventional sense.
"The performance is not augmented or changed by a committee of animators. It is honoured, and the fidelity is sought to translate that performance. In the past, it’s almost felt like performance capture is kind of like a drug-assisted sport. Now that’s just not true. The performance is the performance."
Andy Serkis misses Planet of the Apes films
