Skip to main content

Andy Serkis reveals everything he can about his Star Wars: The Force Awakens character

andy serkis reveals everything can star wars force awakens character death of a superhero
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been scrutinized endlessly since its debut a few weeks ago, and one element that’s earning quite a bit of attention is Andy Serkis’ ominous narration that sets the tone for the footage. Rumors have surrounded the mysterious character (or characters) he’ll play in the film since his casting was first announced, and he finally shared a few details about his role in the film during a recent interview.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Serkis said the narration heard in the trailer is the unaltered voice of his character — and that will be the only character he plays in the film. A recent rumor suggested that Serkis would play multiple characters in the film, with some of them created using the sort of motion-capture performance Serkis is well-known for providing in franchises like the Lord of the Rings and the Planet of the Apes films.

Recommended Videos

While Serkis debunked the multiple-character rumor, he wouldn’t reveal whether his sole character will actually involve an on-screen appearance for him or a motion-capture creation. However, he did tease that his character “has been through some stuff.”

Finally, and most importantly (to Serkis, at least), his character will indeed have an action figure.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is scheduled to hit theaters December 18, 2015.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Darth Vader vs. Kylo Ren: which one is the better Star Wars villain?
A split image of Darth Vader and Kylo Ren in Star Wars movies.

Star Wars eras are defined as much by their villains as by their heroes. While Emperor Sheev Palpatine is the overarching evil mastermind behind the entire Skywalker Saga, he’s never truly been the face of the franchise. That honor falls to the grim reaper of the galaxy, Darth Vader. His intimidating stature (provided by bodybuilder David Prowse), booming voice (courtesy of James Earl Jones), and menacing helmet (designed by Ralph McQuarrie and sculpted by Brian Muir) have made him an immortal pop culture icon.
But what about his successor from the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver)? Positioned as the new hotness among merciless enforcers of space fascism, it seems the man once called Ben Solo never really got his due as a top-shelf villain in cinema’s most inescapable franchise. With the Skywalker Saga now years in our rearview, it’s time to reevaluate the question: Who is the better character, Darth Vader or Kylo Ren?

Darth Vader is unquestionably cooler than Kylo Ren

Read more
Why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Cal Kestis needs his own Disney+ show
Cal wielding his blue lightsaber and walking with BD-1 in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor key art.

As Lucasfilm finally seems to be getting the ball rolling again for Star Wars on the theatrical front, the video game space has been showing the franchise's continued narrative strength. The latest example is Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The sequel to 2019's successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order fleshes out the journey of Cal Kestis (voiced by Gotham and Shameless actor Cameron Monaghan), with his story feeling every bit as worthy of a live-action series.

Shows like Dave Filoni's Ahsoka look promising given Rosario Dawson's pitch-perfect performance in season 2 of The Mandalorian and Filoni's passion for the franchise. Should Lucasfilm want more Jedi-centric storytelling on Disney+, the Star Wars Jedi games have rich characters (all hail Turgle!) and intriguing storylines that could be an ideal fit for the episodic format that made Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor so compelling.

Read more
James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie can save Star Wars
Cover art for the Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi comic book series by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema.

This year's Star Wars Celebration brought exciting new looks into upcoming projects ranging from TV to movies, as well as the announcement that James Mangold (Logan, Ford v Ferrari) will helm an origin story of sorts set during the Dawn of the Jedi. And while this film will be looking back to the past, being set a whopping 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin depicted in Star Wars: Episode IV -- New Hope, it is already poised to be one of the boldest theatrical premises for the franchise.

Star Wars has always been a universe characterized by great potential that's gone surprisingly untapped, with virtually endless storytelling possibilities in the distant past and far future. To address the elephant in the room, Lucasfilm also has a shoddy track record of late in axing or shelving announced and reported projects more than actually developing others, but Mangold's deft direction could break tired conventions and pave the way for the exciting Old Republic era on the big and small screens.
Breaking away from the Skywalker formula

Read more