THE GENIUS OF: Andy SerkisBy Quinn OxleyJuly 11, 2017After a long day of exhausting work, a hot shower, and a mug of warm milk, I lie on my Tempurpedic Cloud Supreme Breeze and pull my heated blanket above my shoulders. Snug and beyond comfortable, I close my eyes and await the sweet embrace of sleep to overtake me.

Except I can’t sleep, because Andy Serkis hasn’t even been nominated for an Oscar yet.

Andy Serkis is a prominent West-Londonian demigod who can literally transform into any living thing, be they human, simian, or Stoor Hobbit. Nationality does not bind him. Species does not bind him. Cumbersome mo-cap equipment does not bind him.

Most known for his role as Gollum/Smeagol in the Lord of the Rings films, Andy Serkis has also graced the screen in Peter Jackson’s King Kong as the legendary beast himself (and as the cook, Lumpy, NBD), Supreme Leader Snoke of the newest Star Wars trilogy and, more recently, totalitarian simian Caesar in the (Word) of the Planet of the Apes franchise. You’ll notice that none of these roles feature Serkis as a human, but all of them are incredibly demanding and nuanced performances.

And yet, for all his efforts, Serkis has never even been nominated for an Academy Award. This is likely due to the effects-heavy nature of these characters; obviously, Serkis is not playing a human, and must be transformed via hours and hours of CGI work, which, some argue, makes his performance incomparable to those of actors who are not aided by such effects.

But that’s the thing - Serkis acts through the effects. He gives human complexity to non-human characters almost more naturally than he does to humans, and this is a feat easily on par with most Oscar-nominated performances. His interpretation of Tolkien’s Gollum is iconic, and Serkis plainly shows through the computer wizardry.

Let’s talk about people who have won Oscars. Eddie Redmayne, even after the disaster that was Jupiter Ascending. Nicolas Cage, who went on to supremely fail in The Wicker Man. Halle Berry, despite the infamous “struck by lightening” line from X-Men. Suicide Squad won best effects, in spite of its awfulness, and the fact that it was up against Doctor Strange in that same category. Even The Phantom Menace was at least nominated.

Andy Serkis’ lack of an Oscar - or at least a nomination - is criminal, especially when considering past Academy Award winners. Perhaps this weekend’s War for the Planet of the Apes will change that.

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