Peter Jackson has expressed his belief that Andy Serkis may never receive an Oscar for his pioneering portrayal of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, attributing this partly to Hollywood’s increasing unease about artificial intelligence. During a masterclass at the Cannes Film Festival, where Jackson was honored with an honorary Palme d’Or, the acclaimed director discussed how motion-capture performances are often misunderstood in today’s AI-dominated climate.
Jackson argued that Serkis’ groundbreaking work as Gollum, which helped transform modern filmmaking, is unlikely to gain awards recognition despite its significance. He pointed out that the current environment tends to conflate digitally created characters with AI-generated ones, overlooking the fact that Serkis physically acted out every moment of Gollum’s character through motion-capture technology.
The filmmaker emphasized that Gollum was not an AI creation but a human-driven performance enhanced by digital tools. Jackson described it as unfair that such performances are frequently disregarded, stressing that Serkis’ work was fundamentally “human-generated” even though it relied heavily on digital effects.
In a notable revelation, Jackson also explained why he chose not to direct The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, an upcoming film focusing on the beloved character. Instead, he believes Serkis is the ideal person to helm the project due to his profound understanding of Gollum’s psychology and struggles with addiction.
“The film explores Gollum’s psychology and addiction,” Jackson said, adding that Serkis “knows this character better than anyone.” Serkis is set to both direct and star in the new film, with Jackson remaining involved as a producer.
Additionally, Jackson shared that he is quietly working on a new script for Tintin while attending Cannes, raising hopes for a sequel to the 2011 film produced by Steven Spielberg.
For now, Jackson’s comments regarding Serkis and the Oscars are expected to ignite debate, especially among fans who have long felt that Serkis’ portrayal of Gollum deserved greater awards recognition.
