While everyone knows him from his performance-capture turns as Caesar in the latest Planet of the Apes movies and Gollum in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings franchises, Andy Serkis also made his feature directorial debut with Breathe at the same time he also went behind the camera to direct Warner Bros’ reboot of The Jungle Book, which he says will likely be retitled Mowgi And Tales Of The Jungle Book.

Previously he served as a second unit director on Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, and in this premiere edition of my new video series Behind The Lens that focuses on conversations with directors, Serkis discusses his big helming break from Jackson on Hobbit, how he approached directing actors Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in Breathe, and why that true story of polio victim Robin Cavendish resonated with him to the point of wanting him to make the film. He also talks about why he wants to return to the stage someday, and why he thinks mo-cap performances should be recognized during awards season.

Serkis is currently the talk of more Oscar buzz for his swan song as Caesar in the final leg of the current Apes trilogy, War For The Planet Of The Apes.

Click about to watch the conversation.