Los Angeles, Mar 9 (IANS): Actor Andy Serkis said he got into the skin of his character Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings films by crawling around on the floor.

"I used to walk on all fours off set when we were filming Lord of the Rings. I spent a lot of time in preparation for that (as Gollum); I would go off for walks on all fours for hours," Serkis said, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

He added: "I did occasionally come into contact with other people, so I just had to pretend I was looking for something. It's fair to say that's pretty method."

Serkis is thankful for the recognition the role brought him.

"I don't think I could have handled the sort of fame Lord of the Rings sparked if I'd been younger. I was in my late 30s when it exploded. I'm grateful it happened when it did. It was an extraordinary time; so many things came out of that experience and whether I like it or not that role lives with me on a daily basis. It will never go away," he told Observer magazine.

The actor regretted the fact the film took him away from his children so much. He still feels guilty about it.

"Given that I spent a lot of my childhood not having a father around, I was determined not to do that to my own children, and failed miserably because the whole ‘Lord of the Rings' thing happened when my kids were very young," he said.

Serkis added: "I have residual levels of guilt. 100%. If you're a creative person then it does take you away from the people who are closest to you and that's a really complex arrangement."