How Andy Serkis Feels About His Recent Characters Getting Killed Off

Klaw in Black Panther

It's been an exciting few months for the world of blockbusters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars franchise have both been delivering consistently for the fans, with actor Andy Serkis able to participate in both franchises. But you'll notice one thing about Serkis his last few times on screen: he just keeps dying. Cinephiles saw Serkis first pass on as Caesar in War for the Planet of the Apes, before being promptly killed off in both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Panther. So what does the actor thing about all his characters dropping like flies? He recently opened up about this process, saying:

I mean, look, Caesar really was like ripping my heart out when he died. All the way through his life I played him, you know, from infancy through to sweet goodnight. So, that one was hard to say goodbye, it really was, over the course of three movies. And, Ulysses Klaue, I was having such a good time playing him. I was very sad to say goodbye to him, too. And Snoke...well, who knows about Snoke? Who knows? [laughs].

Rather than lumping his character deaths together, Andy Serkis revealed that he had a very different experience saying goodbye to each of them. While he was bummed to see Klaw's death in the MCU, his three movies spent living as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise made him a bit more connected to that role.

Andy Serkis' comments to Joblo show how unique each filmmaking experience truly is. This can be said double for Serkis, who does work in both motion capture and live-action. Serkis has been a very busy guy in the past few years, being able to truly transform into each of his franchise roles through his physicality and voice. Plus a whole bunch of CGI.

All the Star Wars fan out there will be especially interested in how cheeky Andy Serkis was in regards to Snoke's fate. Rian Johnson shocked everyone (Serkis included) by killing off Supreme Leader Snoke in The Last Jedi. Fans never learned his origin or backstory, and the presumed big bag of the trilogy was cut in half. This probably wasn't what J.J. Abrams had anticipated when he created the character in The Force Awakens, so he might have plans for the villain now that he's directing Episode IX.

As for Klaw, it look like hit date in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is final. After having a role in Age of Ultron, Serkis popped back up again in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther-- to critical acclaim. Ultimately he was killed by Killmonger, and producer Nate Moore confirmed that he was going to stay that way. Bummer. No one wants to see Caesar come back because of his lovely ending, so smart money says both those characters won't be rising from the dead anytime soon.

As for Andy Serkis, he's directing and voicing Baloo in the upcoming Mowgli movie, based off the character from The Jungle Book. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.