“Planet of the Ape”
I thought I’d done a fair amount of things in my modest career as an actor. Then I was asked to work with a mechanical ape for a short film. Understand, I’ve worked on stage, on tv, in film, in voice-over, with children, the elderly, stars, people who thought they were stars, the beautiful, the ugly, the talented and the talentless, in period pieces and sci-fi, in studio films and ultra low budget productions, on trains, on boats, in cars, in helicopters, in front of a green screen, on practical sets, the list goes on… but a mechanical animal, that’s new to me.
And I’m very excited.
My credo when it comes to acting is that I always want to be the least talented person on set. It’s the surest way to get better. And a mechanical animal is a guaranteed scene stealer. There’s no getting around it. The ape is going to be the star, and it will be an enormous challenge to hold my own. No, I’m not kidding.
I’ve not met the ape yet (his name is “Abe”), but he looks serious. He has the look of a mechanical ape that says, “I can act circles around you by simply being in the shot. Hell, I can act circles around you during your close-up because people will know that I’m just off-camera. Good luck with that, mortal man.”
And to that I say… I have no idea. This should be interesting. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, meet “Abe.”
"Abe"