“People in suits with ping pong balls”: Any Other Actor Would’ve Left Where Andy Serkis Stood Strong after His Gollum Role Was Trolled

Andy Serkis gained critical acclaim for his role as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Serkis made a name for himself in motion capture soon after he did the role of Gollum. While the actor was praised for his incredible performance in the role, he was not admired by all.

Andy Serkis shared that there were many people including some older actors from the industry who mocked him when the first movie in the LOTR trilogy came out.

The role of Gollum changed the world of CGI and motion capture forever. It led Serkis to more motion capture performances like King Kong and Caesar in The Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy. However, it is sad that the actor initially turned into a joke when Gollum first appeared in 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

How did Gollum turn Andy Serkis into a subject of ridicule?

The CGI work and Andy Serkis‘ performance was widely appreciated when Gollum first featured in Peter Jackson’s 2001 film. Nevertheless, during an interview with GQ, the Black Panther actor admitted that many people including some veteran actors made jokes about his role- “people who would say, ‘Who is that character? Is he a dancer? Is he a contortionist?’”

The Guardian reported that during the shoot of The Lord of the Rings, Serkis practiced extreme method-acting for Gollum. He used to walk on all fours. Sadly, even after so much, he became a subject of ridicule for many. The King Kong actor said to GQ:

“Older actors were like, ‘You wouldn’t catch me dead doing motion capture. It’s the end of our profession.’ I literally heard someone saying that. There were lots of jokes about it; you know, Saturday Night Live things with people in suits with ping pong balls attached. It was ripe for ridiculing – and rightly so.”

It is commendable that even after such trolling, Andy Serkis did not look back and gave his best to continue his roles for the entire trilogy, and also in 2012’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He played a key role in making motion capture mainstream.

The filmmaker and actor also served as the second unit director in The Hobbit trilogy. Now, the motion capture legend is set to return to Tolkien’s world once again in an upcoming LOTR film.

Andy Serkis is set to direct an upcoming Gollum movie

After a wonderful run with the LOTR and The Hobbit trilogies, Andy Serkis is all set to make a comeback to Middle Earth with his upcoming film centered on Gollum. As per Warner Bros’ recent press release (via Variety), the film is in its early stages and is tentatively titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. 

Earlier in 2003, it was revealed that new films on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books would be made. The Hunt for Gollum, set to release in 2026 features Serkis as both the director and in his iconic role of Gollum.

The OG Lord of the Rings veterans Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will serve as producers, and “will be involved every step of the way”. Serkis has stated his excitement regarding the project stating that “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown” alongside the LOTR veterans.

Before the 2026 film and after Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power series, we will also get an animated film this winter. The prequel film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set 200 years before The Hobbit trilogy and 261 years before the LOTR films.

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released sometime in 2026. 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released on December 13, 2024, while The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies can be streamed on Max.