Andy Serkis has had leading roles in mega-blockbusters that have earned over $2.5 billion worldwide. He’s the main character in a major movie opening this weekend, and this winter he’ll appear in a new 3D adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. And yet, odds are good that if you bumped into him on the street you’d have no idea he was a movie star. Because usually you never see his face. Serkis is one of the preeminent actors in the field of “performance capture.” That’s the process where an actor’s movements are recorded in three dimensions and used to create the animation of a fully digital character. Serkis broke new ground when he portrayed the computer-generated Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” films, and he is taking the form to another level in the new film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” More..
Category: Hobbit Cast News
Hollywood star Orlando Bloom has been seen out and about in Wellington, joining a growing number of Hobbit actors arriving in the city as production resumes after a three-month hiatus.
Wellingtonians Miranda Webster, Aggie Galloway, Kayla Carruthers, Sam Walton and Hannah Robson met Bloom yesterday when they saw him shopping in the central city.
Ms Carruthers, 19, said she and her friends were on Vivian St when they saw Bloom go into a photography store.
“We weren’t sure at first if it was him or not, so we waited around casually outside the stop, and then when he came out we saw it was definitely him.” [Read more]
On this episode of Hobbit in 5, we tell you about the upcoming live chat with TORn staffer Quickbeam, Stephen Fry and Luke Evans tweet on their way to NZ, announce the launch date for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, and Peter Jackson offers Andy Serkis some advice! We also discuss Thror in this week’s character study.
Thanks to our executive producer: Andrew Blocher
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Fans of The Lord of the Rings films already know that Andy Serkis can act his face off and act without ever showing his face. He first proved it with his landmark performance of Gollum in The Two Towers. Film making and acting without a net, portions of the film hinged on Serkis’ performance of a creature and Weta Digital’s ability to put the emotion on screen digitally. It worked. Beyond all expectations, it soared.
When the screenwriters threw in some character twists of the twisted character for Return of the King (for good or for ill, but don’t blame the actor) Serkis did it again. And of course his return as the same character to The Hobbit is as essential a tie between the films as any character. He went from Middle-earth to Monster Island with King Kong and even got to die a horrible death in his own skin on screen.
Weta went on to create Pandora and its blue skinned inhabitants with James Cameron in Avatar then teamed up again on Tintin with Serkis playing a human in the hilarious Captain Haddock.
But his role as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, just about to open in theaters everywhere, is his greatest performance yet. He moves from being a central character in a big movie to being the center of the film and stealing the show from the actors who get flesh and blood on screen. Continue reading “Exclusive: Andy Serkis talks ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ ‘Hobbit’ with TORn”
Veteran actor Stephen Fry has arrived in Wellington to begin filming his part in The Hobbit.
Fry, a prolific tweeter, touched down in the capital a few hours ago, telling his Twitter followers it was “brightish but not freezing”.
After announcing he was going for “a little explore”, he posted a photo of Max Patte’s Solace in the Wind sculpture on the waterfront, prompting Wellington fans to head to the water. [Read More]
Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for 
the past week. If you’ve fallen behind on what’shappening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun!
Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – August 1, 2011”