Andy Serkis played Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and later got the chance to expand on the villain in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. Unfortunately, the filmmaker failed to address any of the unanswered questions left by J.J. Abrams, and The Rise of Skywalker quickly - and unsatisfyingly - confirmed that Snoke was just a clone being used by Emperor Palpatine.
During a recent interview with io9, the actor weighed in on how it felt to say goodbye to the character.
"I was devastated when I read that script because it was all going so well," he admitted. "I was like, ‘Man, this is a boss character. I’m going to love playing... what!? You’re kidding me, what?’ I was like ‘Okay, is a good idea? I suppose it is. I was slightly mortified, pardon the pun."
"It was all in the right, I think," he added, referring to Snoke's demise furthering the stories of Rey and Kylo Ren. "I loved playing that character and I love the face-off scene between Kylo Ren and Rey, and so it was great." Lucasfilm dropped the ball with Snoke in a big way, and there's no denying that more could have been done with him (especially when you have an actor as talented as Serkis bringing him to life on screen).
When we spoke to Serkis earlier this year, we asked if he was ever made aware of Supreme Leader Snoke's true identity as a vessel for Emperor Palpatine. "It was very much under wraps. Very much under wraps," he confirmed. "I had an inkling, but it was not confirmed."
The Mandalorian has teased the possibility of exploring Snoke's creation (seemingly at the hands of Moff Gideon and his remaining Imperial forces). With that in mind, there's a chance Serkis could be given the opportunity to reprise the role in some form even if it's just to explain why Palpatine chose to use this damaged creature as a proxy in order to lead The First Order.
Check back here soon for our interview with the actor/filmmaker about taking the helm of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, whether he considered including any Spider-Man Easter Eggs, and more.