One final peak

by

As I delve into the captivating lives of Andy Serkis and his partner, I find myself utterly enchanted by their extraordinary journey. Their tale is a testament to the power of love, trust, and shared passions that have spanned over three decades. From the lofty peaks of the French Alps to the fantastical realms of Middle Earth, they’ve traversed paths few could imagine, all while raising a family of talented actors.

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Stephen Mangan concludes, “That’s all from the artists.” He requests them to gather their tools. After five hours of painting at their easels, the three competitors have finished their final strokes. For a significant portion of this time, actor Andy Serkis and his wife Lorraine Ashbourne, dressed as Victorian mountaineers, have been immobile in the center of the room, gazing upward at an imaginary mountain.

Thanks to roles such as Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” trilogies, Caesar in the “Planet of the Apes” films, and various versions of Star Wars, Serkis has spent a considerable amount of time acting in front of green screens and gazing at things that aren’t actually there. However, today, instead of a film set, the couple find themselves in a television studio located in Hammersmith, west London.

These individuals are the contenders for the finale of Sky Art’s prolonged painting competition, “Portrait Artist of the Year.” Now, they have the chance to set aside their ice axes and climbing ropes, giving their muscles some well-deserved rest. “I’m accustomed to uncomfortable body positions,” Serkis notes, who might ring a bell as he was devoured by massive multi-toothed leeches in Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” and bore a vibranium cannon on his arm in “Black Panther.

For the three artists involved, the tension is palpable as they eagerly await the verdict from judges Tai Shan Schierenberg, Kathleen Soriano, and Imogen Gibbon. Ashbourne expresses his anticipation by saying, “I can’t wait to go take a look.” As he watches other participants closely, he picks up on their expressions while overhearing fragments of their conversations. Stephen Mangan, for instance, commented to one artist, “You’re really into the smooshing,” leaving Ashbourne wondering, “What exactly is being squashed?

In its 11th season, the show focuses on discovering the top portrait artists across the nation. To reach this point, contestants have progressed past a preliminary round and semi-finals, during which they’ve painted numerous famous individuals such as Lucy Worsley, Richard Madeley, Rosie Jones, Baaba Maal, and Martha Kearney this year. For the final competition, they may not have anticipated models dressed in Victorian mountaineer attire.

In Ashbourne’s attire, she sports a cinched waist dress and tall boots, while Serkis, an avid climber since his teenage years on Alpine expeditions, is dressed casually in durable trousers and an 1800s Alpinist coat. Eagerly accepting Sky Arts’ invitation to choose a visual motif for the portrait, he seized the opportunity to recreate one of his favorite eras in climbing history, when the Alps were first conquered, many times by British climbers. “During those 30 years,” he says, “from the 1850s to the 1880s, almost every single mountain was being explored and scaled.

We courted in the mountains… ice-climbing in the Alps

The Alpine motif serves not only as a beautiful backdrop, but also as an opportunity to honor the duo’s shared passion for mountaineering. This theme has endured throughout their relationship, proving resilient enough to accommodate his global stardom and Ashbourne’s successful stage and screen career. She has recently graced our screens in ‘Sherwood’ and ‘Alma’s Not Normal’.

60-year-old Serkis, who hails from London, and 63-year-old Ashbourne, originally from Manchester, crossed paths in 1989 at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester where they were both performing in She Stoops to Conquer. They tied the knot in 2002. “When we were invited for Portrait Artist, we didn’t want to simply dress up and sit there,” Serkis explains. “The idea of vanity in that didn’t appeal to us. Instead, what attracted us was the opportunity to be ourselves. So, we created a situation where it seemed like we were gazing at a mountain. But we weren’t playing characters as in a film; we wore costumes that helped us tell our story.

During their initial courtship in Manchester, Serkis often took Ashbourne on extended weekend trips to the Lake District and later to the Alps. As Ashbourne recalls, “We fell for each other amidst the mountains,” with a pointed emphasis, “and that ‘mountain love’ was ice-climbing in the Alps.

Speaking as a dedicated cinephile, I can confirm that Andy Serkis truly put us to the test during those intense motion-capture sessions for “Mowgli”. He wanted to ensure we were compatible, like two climbers ready to scale the highest peaks. But let me tell you, it wasn’t just about professional compatibility; we were to become life partners, and that trust is essential when you’re embarking on such a challenging journey together.

Thirty-five years filled with joy and three acting children (Ruby, Sonny, and Louis) later, the Alpine strategy seems to have proven successful. Although it was undeniably intense, says Serkis, turning to Ashbourne, “I had a strong sense that you were ready for it, and you were.” Ashbourne openly admits her romantic feelings as well: “I suppose I placed my trust in your faith in me. And that was the key.

Today, there are two awards up for grabs. The first one will be given when Serkis and Ashbourne select their preferred portrait; this prize consists of recognition or applause. The second prize, however, is quite significant – it’s the title of Portrait Artist of the Year 2024, along with a £10,000 painting commission. This might not be much for Serkis, who is one of the highest-earning actors alive and has an estimated net worth exceeding £29 million.

In the realm of motion capture for films, he’s not just focused on profits but also passion for creativity. Alongside his acting role, he co-founded The Imaginarium Studios, a company renowned for performance capture. His innovative ideas and dedication have significantly transformed this technique from a novelty into a respected art form. He often draws comparisons between the work of painters and his own, recognizing the similarities in their creative processes.

Initially, he shared that his journey began with painting. His ambition was to be an artist; he pursued this dream by attending Lancaster University for visual arts studies. However, during his first year, a twist of fate led him to acting. Despite this change, storytelling has always been part of who he is. Consequently, he found himself drawn towards directing, as it offers the opportunity to tell stories visually. He also noted that creating a character, much like painting, involves layering marks and gradually shaping them into a complete figure.

If asked about the crucial part he’d focus on when painting himself, Serkis points out that it would be the eyes. After all, they are the most conspicuous and emotive feature of a face, with the rest of the face often concealed by special effects or costumes, especially evident in the case of his transformation from Sméagol to Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, where he spent around 15 hours applying makeup. “We even have photographs showing our two-year-old son, Sonny, being embraced by Gollum during the year-long shoot in New Zealand,” shares Serkis’ partner Ashbourne.

Today, their inspiration came from an old photograph. During their initial visit to the French Alps, in the hotel at Chamonix, the couple chanced upon a 19th-century image depicting a female mountaineer bridging a crevasse with a ladder. This picture served as a profound moment for Serkis, symbolizing resilience and tenacity that has resonated with them deeply for nearly three decades.

Ashbourne queries, “Does it seem conceivable to you that one would scale this terrain with this equipment?” He paints a picture of an icy, frigid environment where one feels cold and experiences altitude sickness. It’s damp, and the weather shifts rapidly. It’s exhausting, a truly challenging sport. To endure such hardship while dressed in full Victorian attire – large skirts, crinolines, hobnail leather boots, hats, corsets, and more – is no easy feat. Add to that crossing a chasm on a flimsy ladder! I hold immense admiration for those women who dared such feats.

Serkis acknowledges with a nod. “Before now, people rarely ventured beyond the snow-capped peaks. They clung to superstitions and feared that monstrous creatures like dragons inhabited those frozen heights.” As he speaks the word ‘dragons’, there seems to be a spark of a cinematic concept in his expressive, blue eyes.

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2024-12-02 23:07