Andy Serkis Says Ian Dury Was Uncomfortable With Fame

Actor Andy Serkis has been expanding on the experience of portraying Ian Dury (pictured) in new film 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,' a biopic of the former leader of the Blockheads who died in 2000 aged 57.

Among other things, the film draws attention to Dury's discomfort with his own fame.

"He wasn't setting out to attain celebrity and I don't believe it suited him," Serkis, who also famously played Gollum in 'Lord Of The Ring,' told the BBC. "It was when he was incredibly famous that he was the least happy in his life. It was when he had to fight for it all and get out there and connect with people, that when he was doing what he loved best.

He added, "We show in the movie that when he got what he wished for, he started drinking heavily and it all fell apart - but then we also show him finding himself and his purpose again."

The film takes a candid look at Dury's relationship with his son Baxter and his life as a Polio sufferer, and includes Serkis performing as Dury on stage.

"That was the most challenging thing," said Serkis, "because it was a live performance in front of a crowd... I've seen videos of the real thing, and Ian would always be drenched in sweat. It was physically exhausting and he had polio too. Yet he had a titanic force and energy.

'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' is on general release from Jan.8. As previously reported on Spinner, Serkis said when he met Dury in real life the singer was "obnoxious."