Many moviegoers were disappointed that motion-capture legend Andy Serkis wasn’t given an Academy Award nomination for his work in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and immediately began campaigning for that to not happen again this year following his acclaimed performance in the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
According to THR, 20th Century Fox feels the same way, and will heavily push for Oscar nominations for not only Serkis, but several of Dawn‘s cast members in the supporting actor categories. That includes standout motion-capture performer Toby Kebbell as well as those who played humans: Jason Clarke, Keri Russell and Gary Oldman.
While it might seem a bit insulting to some that Serkis is only being championed by the studio for a supporting role, it’s been a particularly good year at the movies with plenty of standout performances, and this approach to push for supporting actor nominations has worked in the past for other ensemble films such as Crash, Syriana and Babel, all of which were garnered acting noms. So, while Serkis may technically deserve to be nominated as Best Actor, his chances may be better in the supporting category.
If Serkis gets nominated, it will be the first time that an actor has been recognized in such a way for a motion-capture performance. Over the years, motion-capture technology has become more advanced (thanks in no small part to Serkis’ work in the field both behind and in front of the camera), and the notion of the actor getting nominated isn’t quite the pipe-dream that it was three years ago.
Tell us, do you think Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar nomination for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes? Would you be satisfied if he were nominated for Best Supporting Actor, or would you rather see Fox push for a Best Actor nomination? Let us know in the comments section below.