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Andy Serkis is a genius. When Lord of the Rings came out, not too many people let it click in their heads that Gollum was actually being played by someone, rather than a CGI character with a voice actor. Andy Serkis is much more than a voice actor. He is one of the greatest monster movie actors of our time, much like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff were. It’s frustrating that no one respects this now and days in the world of awards.

Sure, it’s easy to pretend you’re something you’re not. But to play an ape and give it human feelings, to silence a theater audience with just his voice, that’s powerful acting. To be able to give a monster human capabilities, while still keeping his monster intact, that’s something special.

What’s even more ridiculous is to say that Andy Serkis is a supporting role in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, that he supports James Franco. I disagree with this entirely. The nomination for Andy Serkis as Best Supporting at the Critics’ Choice Awards last night was an abomination. When you think about the film, if you have seen it, Andy Serkis gets equal, if not more screen time than Franco. It’s atrocious. Looking at the Internet Movie Database page, Andy Serkis isn’t even listed high on the cast list. In fact, he isn’t even on the movie’s first page of actors. That’s a shame. Because the movie was about him, the movies to come will be about him hopefully, and furthermore he is the star that shines so brightly in the masterpiece that was the summer hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes. One of the best films of the year, in my opinion, and not only is it snubbed by award shows, but Serkis is being snubbed as well.

People claim they appreciate what Serkis does all the time. They claim they understand how hard it is. What would Gollum be without him? What would King Kong have been without him? What kind of character would Caesar have been without him? Would these movies still be the same if it was a simple CGI character with a voice actor? Would Gollum have scared you to death? Would Caesar’s story even matter?
Andy Serkis deserves a Best Actor nomination, and he deserves to win it hands down.