Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis has revealed he used to walk around 'on all fours for hours' to help himself get into character for the role of Gollum, saying he had to pretend he was 'looking for something' if he bumped into anyone.
Serkis, 56, featured in the trilogy as the bug-eyed creature Gollum, also reprising his role in 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
While the character appeared on screen as a computer-generated animation, the role involved performance capturing Serkis' movements, meaning he often had to skulk around the set on all fours wearing a tight-fitting body-suit decked out with sensors.
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But it wasn't just while filming that Serkis crouched on the floor and hopped around like his on-screen counterpart.
Nope, he was so dedicated to getting it right, that he also moved around on all fours while off set as well.
Speaking to The Guardian, he recalled: "I used to walk on all fours off set when we were filming Lord of the Rings.
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"I spent a lot of time in preparation for that; I would go off for walks on all fours for hours. I did occasionally come into contact with other people, so I just had to pretend I was looking for something. It's fair to say that's pretty method."
Speaking about the experience of working on the film, he added: "I don't think I could have handled the sort of fame Lord of the Rings sparked if I'd been younger. I was in my late 30s when it exploded.
"I'm grateful it happened when it did. It was an extraordinary time; so many things came out of that experience and whether I like it or not that role lives with me on a daily basis. It will never go away."
Serkis and his former Lord of the Rings co-stars will be reuniting this spring for a special series of events, which aim to not only celebrate 20 years since The Fellowship of the Ring was released, but also support local cinemas after being hit by the pandemic.
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The reunions will be hosted by US TV presenter and LOTR fan Stephen Colbert, with the first chat due to be shown on 25 March in cinemas that are signed up to the event. Colbert will be interviewing Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan which will be shown after The Fellowship of the Ring.
This will be followed by another on 1 April, when Colbert will speak to Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler after The Two Towers has been shown.
Finally, on 8 April director Peter Jackson, Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis will reflect on The Return of the King - the final film of the trilogy.
In a statement to Digital Spy, Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the trilogy, said: "One of the experiences I miss most during this last year, beyond getting to hug my friends and travel, is sitting in a dark movie theatre eagerly anticipating a new cinematic experience.
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"When Tim [League, Alamo Drafthouse Founder and Executive Chairman] reached out with the idea that we could band together to bring some much-needed support to independent theatres across the globe, I jumped at the chance to help."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Lord Of The Rings