Andy Serkis crawled on floor 'for hours' off set of Lord of the Rings

Andy Serkis used to “walk on all fours” for hours off set when shooting ‘Lord of the Rings’.

The 56-year-old actor admitted he took a “pretty method” approach to portraying Gollum in the film franchise, and if he ever encountered people when crawling around outside, he’d just pretend he had lost something.

He said: “I used to walk on all fours off set when we were filming Lord of the Rings. I spent a lot of time in preparation for that [as Gollum];

“I would go off for walks on all fours for hours. I did occasionally come into contact with other people, so I just had to pretend I was looking for something. It’s fair to say that’s pretty method.”

Andy is thankful for the recognition the role brought him, but he’s also grateful he didn’t reach such a level of fame when he was younger.

He told Observer magazine: “I don’t think I could have handled the sort of fame Lord of the Rings sparked if I’d been younger. I was in my late 30s when it exploded.

“I’m grateful it happened when it did. It was an extraordinary time; so many things came out of that experience and whether I like it or not that role lives with me on a daily basis. It will never go away.”

But the actor – who has three children with wife Lorraine Ashbourne – regretted the fact the film took him away from his kids so much and still feels guilty about it, particularly because his own father lived in Iraq throughout his childhood.

He said: “Given that I spent a lot of my childhood not having a father around, I was determined not to do that to my own children, and failed miserably because the whole ‘Lord of the Rings’ thing happened when my kids were very young.

“I have residual levels of guilt. 100%. If you’re a creative person then it does take you away from the people who are closest to you and that’s a really complex arrangement.”