Andy Serkis reveals how he came up with the voice of Snoke for the 'Star Wars' movies
From Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" movies to Ceasar in "Planet of the Apes," he really has pushed forward a new kind of performance art. But his most mysterious role is Supreme Leader Snoke in the current "Star Wars" movies.
Snoke only appears in hologram form in "The Force Awakens," and it seems in the latest trailer for "The Last Jedi," we will see him in the flesh. But there isn't much we know about the character (and very little Serkis can say).
But one aspect Serkis could speak on is the creation of the Snoke voice, which is prominently featured in "The Last Jedi" trailer. Along with performing the roles of Gollum, Ceasar, and Snoke, he also comes up with all the voices. It's something that he puts a lot of thought into.
"When I first worked on it with ['The Force Awakens' director] J.J. [Abrams] there was an evolving design of the character," Serkis said. "It was going through lots of changes. But it's all about where a character carries his pain, or aggression, or emotional centers, and with Snoke it was very much there [putting his hands to the back of his head]. And his skull has got this big scar in the front, so for me it was a fracturing. He's got this cleft in his head and I think it's very painful for him to speak and yet there's an imperiousness about him. He's severely damaged but there's a vulnerability that's he's trying to cover so that was sort of what I was trying to do."
Perhaps that pain will be explored in "The Last Jedi." If the voiceover from the trailer (hopefully it's also in the movie) is any indication, Snoke could be as much of an influence on Rey as Luke Skywalker is.
Watch the latest trailer below. "The Last Jedi" opens in theaters December 15.