9. Andy Serkis Will Finally Get the Credit He Deserves
20th Century FoxIt wouldn't be hyperbolic to state that Andy Serkis has become one of the most important actors of his generation. Ever since the groundbreaking combination of WETA's digital effects and Serkis' dedicated performance resulted in the iconic Gollum in the Lord of the Rings series, the actor has gone on to become the most prominent motion capture actor in the business. However, despite the consistent quality of his performances many bodies still fail to consider mo-cap as 'proper acting', something that needs to change. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded, Serkis took his dedication to mo-cap to another level entirely by managing to give an emotionally complex and convincing performance as a giant gorilla in Peter Jackson's King Kong. The actor threw himself into the role by studying wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda, and so good is his turn that you forget that the character is even being played by a human actor. Unbelievably, that isn't even the best simian performance of his career, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Caesar seeing Serkis deliver what is quite simply one of the greatest acting performances of the last few years. If early reactions are anything to go by then the actor is reportedly even better, even awards-worthy, in the highly-anticipated upcoming sequel. Serkis also co-founded The Imaginarium, a digital studio that specializes in the development of motion capture acting across all forms of media, with the studio also taking charge of the mo-cap for Star Wars Episode VII, leading many to believe that the actor will once again don the skintight leotard and a face-full of dots for the movie. After cutting his teeth as second-unit director on The Hobbit, Serkis will make his directorial debut with an adaptation of The Jungle Book for Warner Bros. that will no doubt keep The Imaginarium busy. More than just a talented actor, Andy Serkis is a trailblazer at the forefront of the latest technology, and if he keeps delivering such brilliant performances then his contributions to the industry cannot be overlooked for much longer.