Andy Serkis Gives Fans A Peek At How He Crafted His Star Wars Character Before Any Input

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Summary

  • Andy Serkis created Snoke with psychological and physical damage in mind, as well as a sense of inadequacy.
  • Serkis developed Snoke’s character without knowing his true nature, contributing to fan theories about the role.
  • Despite the limited development of the character Snoke, Serkis demonstrated his talent in bringing complex characters to life in Star Wars.

As a passionate film fan, I can’t help but marvel at the rich tapestry of characters in the Star Wars universe, from those we adore to those we love to loathe. However, it’s interesting to note that one of the franchise’s most recent villains took an unusually independent path onto the silver screen, and I had the privilege of learning about this unique journey from the man behind him.

In simpler terms, the Star Wars franchise, known for its iconic villains like Darth Vader and Palpatine, faced a challenge when creating a new antagonist for the sequel trilogy. The character Snoke, who was initially introduced in the Rey films, was considered uninteresting by director Rian Johnson, despite being portrayed by the talented Andy Serkis, who played a significant role as the main villain during that time.

Andy Serkis, famous for his emblematic portrayal of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings series, shared insights on crafting his antagonistic character in Star Wars. According to Popverse, these remarks were made during a spotlight panel at Fan Expo San Francisco. Serkis humorously admitted that even he was curious about Snoke’s background. When discussing the character’s creation, Serkis revealed that he chose to approach Snoke as a character who had endured psychological and physical trauma. “I knew nothing about the character when I began filming. We wanted a dark, powerful figure, but I decided early on that Snoke should seem like he had been through some emotional turmoil and bodily harm.” This physical injury significantly influenced Serkis’s decisions moving forward, as he explained. “Since Snoke is scarred, with the front of his skull crushed, he felt like a failed clone. To maintain his power, I believed he needed to present himself in a more menacing manner, concealing any feelings of inadequacy. These were the thoughts running through my mind.

The actor admitted he didn’t fully understand Snoke’s true identity, saying, “No, we stumbled upon that idea and began considering it as we went along.” He also acknowledged the numerous theories about Snoke that emerged between films, stating that most of them were unfounded due to the character’s improvised development. “There were so many Snoke theories circulating, I’m sure many of you participated in them. It was a lot of misdirection because we were still developing the character as we worked,” he explained. The overwhelming speculation surrounding Snoke made Serkis apprehensive about his role in Star Wars: Andor.

Serkis demonstrates an exceptional ability to create rich and complex characters beyond the script’s instructions, which was evident in his work on Star Wars: Andor. However, much like other talented actors, he could only make the most of what he was provided, and the character of Snoke didn’t initially receive a fair chance. The fact that Snoke was immediately sidelined by a change in leadership following Palpatine’s unexpected return didn’t help the character at all. In terms of execution, Serkis hit his target with the approach he had planned, but it might have been more effective if used elsewhere or by different writers.

Though the character (and indeed, the entire trilogy) may have been poorly handled by the franchise’s erratic course, the nuances of intent in Serkis’ performance are unmistakable and a clear demonstration of his skill at breathing life into such characters. With the next major Star Wars film not expected for quite some time, fans can only cross their fingers that the antagonist for this upcoming episode will receive more depth and narrative support, allowing the actor portraying the role to deliver a stronger performance.

The Star Wars franchise is available to stream on Disney+.

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2025-02-05 18:54