Andy Serkis: His 8 Best Performances

As the titular beast, Serkis steals the show away from the entirety of the human cast in a performance that remains the iconic take on the role.

Working with Peter Jackson to further push and revolutionize the motion-capture technology they had pioneered on the Lord of the Rings films, Serkis is able to fully portray Kong, down to every facial tick. And sure, he lets his more ferocious side out to play for Kong's more menacing moments, but the true magic of the performance is how much genuine emotion Serkis is able to wring out of the beast.

His scenes with Naomi Watts' Ann Darrow are filled with chemistry. Their relationship winds up being the beating heart of the film and honestly, it shouldn't work. But their performances sell the unlikely and doomed friendship as believable and grounded in emotion, without ever tipping over into the weirdly sexual stuff from the seventies version of the film.

One of the greatest moments in the entire film is when, right in the middle of the third act, Jackson gives Ann and Kong one last moment of joy together in a frozen-over Central Park. Serkis' performance here is that of a character savoring his last moments, even as he knows the end is coming. It is unexpectedly poignant and demonstrates exactly why Serkis has become so revered for his motion-capture work.