Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar at this point and should be considered for the next Academy awards no matter what category it has to be in for him to win. The guy has done so much to this point in his career that he’s become one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood and he rarely ever shows his face in his roles. His attempt to bring the character of Caesar to life in the Planet of the Apes franchise has been nothing short of amazing. He’s captured more than just Caesar however as he’s also played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and Supreme Leader Snoke in the last two Star Wars films.
So how much more is it going to take to get this guy an award befitting his skills?
At this time it almost seems like it would take a miracle to make the Academy even stand up and take notice of Serkis as anything than a peculiarity, though in truth I’d like to see any number of actors do the kind of work he’s been doing throughout the years and make it look just as good. He’s perfected the art to such a degree that he becomes the characters that he’s playing, and in doing so brings them to life in a way that even the books they came from might never have done. That alone should be worthy of an award.
He’s also done enough live acting to prove that he’s not just the voice and movement behind the characters that he plays so well. Serkis entered the MCU as Ulysses Klaue back in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and has taken up the role again in the upcoming Black Panther. He’s proven many times over now that he’s a skilled and capable actor, now it’s just a matter of time before the Academy finally takes note and rewards him, we hope. Unfortunately it seems that the Academy Awards are more about who’s popular at that moment, who’s making the biggest impact, and who’s going to continue the tradition of getting the awards noticed by more and more people. It has little to do with real talent at times and even less to do with awarding that talent as it should.
It’s enough to make a person bitter but what we need to remember is that the most rewarding part of acting is knowing that people know who you are and what you’re capable of. This is what draws people to movies featuring certain actors and allows them to create a fan base that outstrips anything an Oscar can give. That small golden man gives an actor credibility when it comes time to count up the awards that are placed in one’s trophy case to collect dust, they don’t define the true heart and skill of an actor. They’re impressive to say the least, and they denote the fact that someone thought the winners were worth the effort. But they don’t define an actor. Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar, but barring that, the recognition that he’s become one of the greatest actors alive is definitely more than adequate.
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