I really wanna get into motion capture, stuff that Andy Serkis does - Israel Adesanya reveals his future Hollywood aspirations

Israel Adesanya hopes to land motion capture roles similar to Andy Serkis [Credits: FREESTYLEBENDER via YouTube and @andyserkis via Instagram]

Even though Israel Adesanya is at the peak of his mixed martial arts career, he also seems to be on top of things when it comes to his future endeavors.

The UFC middleweight champion recently appeared in an interview with TMZ Sports and revealed that he would be interested in motion capture acting for movies and video games.

Adesanya cited the example of renowned Hollywood personalities Andy Serkis and Benedict Cumberbatch as actors whose body of work he would like to emulate:

"They've been coming. They've been knocking. Later on, I'll dabble. I really want to get into motion capture - for movies or for gaming - stuff that Andy Serkis does. He's like the GOAT at that. [Benedict] Cumberbatch, he did it for the dragon... that kind of stuff excites me. The good thing about motion capture is, I ain't gotta be there to do it. I don't have to go to Hollywood. You can do it at home and they just send it over."

Watch the full interview below:

Actor-producer Andy Serkis is a mastercraftsman in the art. He has carved his own niche in motion capture and voice performances with roles like 'Gollum' in the The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, 'Caeser' in the Planet of the Apes franchise, and 'Supreme Leader Snoke' in the Star Wars sequel movies.

Benedict Cumberbatch was lauded for his exceptional portrayal of the dragon 'Smaug' in The Hobbit trilogy. A video of the British actor shooting for his scenes with Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman, who plays the character of lead protagonist 'Bilbo Baggins', went viral shortly after the release of the movie The Hobbit: Desolation of the Smaug.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug VFX (Hobbits: Desolation of Smaug) https://t.co/JYEwgge5e3

Benedict Cumberbatch also provided facial motion capture and voice for the intergalactic antagonist 'Dormammu' in Marvel Studios' Dr. Strange, where he plays the lead character of Doctor Stephen Strange himself.

Israel Adesanya has voiced a character in popular anime sequel

From what 'The Last Stylebender' has revealed in his recent interviews, he has already made some significant strides towards achieving his goals.

While chatting with comedians Andrew Schulz and Aakash Singh last month on their podcast Flagrant 2, Israel Adesanya shared that he was offered a role in a movie by Marvel Studios but could not take it up due to visa issues amid the pandemic:

"I already got a few offers already. But I wouldn't have an O-1 visa. This last year, a major Marvel movie... got offered to jump in - a speaking role, fighting role. But then I wouldn't have an O-1 visa. It was delayed a little bit and for Marvel to delay the shooting by even a day is like 160k... but now we'll stay ready."

Watch the podcast below:

Even though he missed out on working with Marvel Studios, Israel Adesanya has already dipped his toe in voiceover work.

The Nigerian-born UFC champion's love for anime is no secret to his fans. From his various Naruto poses during weigh-ins and inside the octagon to his Avatar-inspired nickname, the signs are everywhere.

It finally came full circle when Israel Adesanya landed a voiceover role for the Netflix series Baki Hanma, a sequel to the original Baki. In the martial arts-based anime, Adesanya voices a character named Chamomile Lessen.

Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) makes his voice acting debut as Chamomile Lessen in Netflix’s popular anime series Baki, now streaming on @netflix. 🎤 #GP https://t.co/OvHQAyBev3

That being said, the fan-favorite fighter is presently enjoying the perks of his new multi-fight deal with the UFC, making Israel Adesanya among the highest-paid athletes in MMA.