Serkis finds Oscars CGI category pointless

Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis has revealed that he does not believe there should be a separate Oscar category for “performance capture" actors. Serkis, 45, who played Gollum in Peter Jackson"s fantasy trilogy, said the increasing use of the filmmaking tool had sparked an “interesting debate".

Performance capture is when an actor"s movements are translated into CGI. But it reignited the debate on whether motion capture actors are able to compete on a level playing field during awards season. “It"s a very interesting debate," the BBC quoted Serkis as saying. “The industry is going to be using performance capture more and more in films. “Personally I"ve never believed there should be a separate category because the essence of the performance is pure acting," he stated.

Serkis is an expert in the field, having played Gollum and King Kong via a performance capture suit. “It"s ultimately whether whoever"s voting for the awards thinks the performance is a genuinely moving character," he said. “I don"t really think there should a special acting in a digital realm award or anything. From an acting standpoint, it"s the same," he added.