Andy Serkis has been confirmed as returning for The Batman II as Alfred Pennyworth, but how much do you know about this versatile actor?
The long-awaited sequel, The Batman II, begins production this year and it has been confirmed that Andy Serkis will be returning in his role as Batman’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Andy is one of several members of the cast of the first movie to reprise their roles, including Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Colin Farrell as The Penguin.
Fans will be pleased that Andy is returning as this had been in doubt as the versatile actor and director is busy with several projects currently, including Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which meant it wasn’t sure that he could find enough space in his diary for shooting.
Shooting on The Batman II begins in London in June, with Andy saying he will hook up with the team later in the year, as per Screen Rant via Deadline.
But how much do you know about Andy Serkis? Here are some facts you might not know.
He’s the motion capture king
Andy has starred in some of the biggest movie franchises in cinema history – although you wouldn’t necessarily know it. Andy has made appearing in roles that use computer generated images from motion capture a speciality. Most famously, he appeared as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films – where cameras would capture his movements, using them in the generation of the character, which Andy would then voice.
Andy has also appeared in motion-capture roles in King Kong (2005), Ceasar in the Planet of the Apes movies from 2011-17 and Star Wars films The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017) as Supreme Leader Snoke.
Andy Serkis originally wanted to be a painter
While growing up, Andy didn’t do acting outside of school productions. When he went to university in the mid-1980s, he studied visual arts and theatre. However, he did get involved in productions at that time and after taking the lead role in a play called Gotcha, he changed his degree to focus on acting and set design.
He spent years in touring theatre companies
Andy’s rise to fame was not instant. On graduating, he joined a local playhouse in order to gain his Equity Card. After that, Andy worked for various touring companies playing a wide range of roles in plays from Shakespeare to modern British for several years.
Later, he appeared in London theatre productions, as well as some minor TV roles, before winning the role of Gollum in 2001.
He based Gollum’s voice on his cat
Gollum is an iconic movie character for many reasons but his voice – much imitated ever since – is one of the biggest. It turns out that the croaky voice Andy used was based on his cat when it was coughing up furballs.
Apparently, Andy used the Gollum voice on his children, usually for fun but occasionally when they misbehaved.
He owns one of the two prop rings from the Lord of the Rings films
Staying with the Lord of the Rings, in the movie, the ring is crucial and there were two prop rings made for the production. After filming concluded, one ring went to Elijah Wood, who played Frodo, while Andy has the other.
His children are following in his footsteps
Andy has been married to fellow actor Lorraine Ashbourne since 2002 and they have three children: Ruby, Sonny and Louis – and all three are following in their parents’ footsteps by becoming actors.
Ruby has appeared in shows such as The Letter for the King and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man on Netflix.
Sonny was in The Witcher (2019 and The War Below (2021), while Louis has been in shows such as Wild Cherry and in films such as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
