Although the Lord of the Rings movies were a huge success at the Oscars, one actor can consider himself unlucky that he was snubbed. It's extremely rare for fantasy movies to perform well during awards season, but The Lord of the Rings trilogy produced three of the best fantasy movies ever back-to-back, so it managed to break the mold. Most of these awards came at the end of the trilogy in 2004. Fans will always debate the best Lord of the Rings movie, but it's The Return of the King which picked up the most awards, possibly so that the Academy could recognize the entire trilogy.

Despite the Oscars success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the actors didn't get the recognition they deserved. Reviews heaped praise on the Lord of the Rings cast, but Ian McKellen was the only actor to get an Oscar nomination, and this was for his performance in The Fellowship of the Ring. It's hard to pick any outstanding performers from such a large cast, especially since there are some roles which only get a few minutes of screen time. Regardless, there are one or two actors who should have been celebrated for their performances during awards season.

Andy Serkis Deserved An Oscar For His Performance As Gollum

Not Many Actors Could Have Pulled Off A Convincing Portrayal Of Gollum

If any Lord of the Rings actor deserves more recognition for their role in the trilogy, then it's Andy Serkis. His captivating portrayal of Gollum reaches a masterful crescendo in The Return of the King, as Gollum closes in on Mount Doom with Frodo and Sam. While Gollum had always seemed untrustworthy and unhinged, he seems to get even harder to predict as he travels deeper into Mordor. This provided a challenge for Serkis, but the actor delivered an outstanding performance, illustrating his character's fractured psyche in bold brushstrokes. Not many actors could strike the right balance without veering too far into risible melodrama.

His dedicated performance feeds into the strange mythos of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, enriching the series even when he isn't on screen.

Tim Robbins won the Oscar for Best ing Actor in 2004 for his performance in Clint Eastwood's neo-noir mystery drama Mystic River. It's a commendable performance, but Serkis' is arguably more impressive. The simple fact that no other actor had ever done what Serkis was doing puts him over the top. Not only did he make such an unusual character so lifelike, but he also created one of cinema's most compelling villains. His dedicated performance feeds into the strange mythos of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, enriching the series even when he isn't on screen.

How Serkis Brought One Of Tolkien's Most Peculiar Characters To Life

Bringing Gollum To The Big Screen Was A Challenge

Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's youth in the English countryside and his experiences of the First World War, the Lord of the Rings trilogy often focuses on the tension between pleasant, bucolic life and the creeping destruction of industrialism. This can be seen when the hobbits travel from the Shire towards Mordor, but the character of Gollum also illustrates this point. Once known as Sméagol, Gollum is corrupted by the power of the One Ring, and he eventually becomes a barely recognizable creature driven only by jealousy. This makes him a unique figure in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

At times, Gollum can be a monster, but there are still remnants of a more sympathetic figure struggling to break free from beneath the surface. The visual effects and Peter Jackson's shrewd direction often draw attention to the conflicted sides of Gollum's personality, but Serkis' performance is just as important. His twitchy movements and constantly pained, exaggerated facial expressions give the impression that his entire body is at war with itself, which perfectly reflects the deep backstory from Tolkien's writing.

Serkis Wasn't The Only Actor Who Delivered An Outstanding Performance In The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

There Are Practically No Weak Links In The Cast

Although Andy Serkis does some of his best work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he's just one part of an outstanding ensemble cast. Across the three movies, there are plenty of incredible performances to choose from, even for actors who only make one or two appearances. Although they don't stick around for the entire duration of the story, Sean Bean's Boromir, Brad Dourif's Grima Wormtongue and John Noble's Denethor create lasting impressions that help to flesh out the complex world of Middle Earth.

The cast of The Lord of the Rings probably would have gotten the recognition they deserved if there were more major awards that were handed out to a film's entire cast, or if awards were given out for an actor's contribution to a franchise over the course of multiple movies. In this hypothetical world, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Lee and a few other actors would probably have gotten the awards they deserve. Ultimately, acting awards are just one measure of success, and they aren't the most useful in the case of franchises with large casts like The Lord of the Rings.

Motion-Capture Performances Still Get Overlooked Today

Serkis Was Always Unlikely To Get Nominated

The fact that Andy Serkis wasn't even nominated for an Oscar has little to do with the quality of his performance. It's more a reflection of the fact that motion-capture performances tend to be ignored by major awards shows. While it may have been seen as a novelty at the time of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, motion-capture has become commonplace in Hollywood, thanks to the pioneering work of Serkis and others. Still, it seems like a long shot that any actor will receive a major nomination for such a performance.

Since The Lord of the Rings, Serkis has continued to push the boundaries of motion-capture acting. His more recent work on the Planet of the Apes prequel series is just as convincing, but again, these movies received nominations and awards for visual effects without Serkis being singled out for praise. Josh Brolin in Avengers: Infinity War, Zoe Saldaña in Avatar and Bill Nighy in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest also delivered fantastic motion-capture performances, but they missed out during awards season. The fact that sci-fi and fantasy movies rarely score acting nominations is another big hurdle.

Despite the fact that Andy Serkis was snubbed at the Oscars over 20 years ago, he has another chance in the near future. He's attached to direct The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, and it's widely assumed that this means he'll also be reprising his role as Gollum. It's unlikely, but there would be a sense of poetic justice if this new era for the Lord of the Rings franchise could grant Serkis the awards-season glory that he deserved back in 2004. If Hollywood is ever going to give motion-capture performances more recognition, Serkis deserves his moment in the sun.