Andy Serkis went ‘pretty method’ to play Gollum

The actor believes he would not have been able to handle the fame that the trilogy sparked had he been younger.

British actor Any Serkis has revealed that he spent hours walking on all fours to perfect his portrayal of Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The 56-year-old actor said he went “pretty method” for the character, a former Hobbit, who gets deformed and twisted due to his attachment and the possession of the Ring.

In an interview with The Guardian, Serkis said he spent hours walking on all fours on the set of the Peter Jackson-directed hit fantasy trilogy. “I used to walk on all fours off set when we were filming Lord of the Rings. I spent a lot of time in preparation for that (Gollum). 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,” Serkis said.

The actor believes he would not have been able to handle the fame that the trilogy sparked had he been younger. “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,” he said. As Serkis recalls, he spent hours off the set walking on all fours just like Gollum in both private and public spaces.

The actor would run into people while on all fours and would have to come up with a plausible reason for being so close to the ground, such as looking for an item he dropped on the floor. “I used to walk on all fours off set when we were filming ‘Lord of the Rings,’” Serkis said.

“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.”