Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 9 New Cast Members' Best Roles So Far

4. Andy Serkis - Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

As a pioneer of mo-cap technology, Andy Serkis has become involved with some of the biggest movie properties around. He's a consultant and now actor for the MCU, he played Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit trilogies of course, and now he's got himself an as-yet undisclosed role in the new Star Wars film. For all the expertise displayed in his other projects - Gollum is a memorably ugly creation, and Serkis is also a strong live-action actor in a few notable films - Serkis has never been better than he is in the Planet Of The Apes prequels. And if the Academy recognised motion capture performances, Serkis would've been a shoo-in as a winner for Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, a superior action sci-fi that doubles as a surprising Shakespearean actors' showcase. As Dawn's rebel ape leader Caesar, Serkis is a marvel, required basically to be a near-silent movie star, doing most of the expressing with just his eyes. It bodes well for The Force Awakens that hardly anyone recognised it was Serkis providing the voiceover for the first trailer; sounds like Serkis is up to his old tricks again, disappearing into a part like the shapeshifter he is.