Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt discusses the challenges of crafting a summer blockbuster while maintaining character and story integrity in this exclusive interview.
Exclusive Interviews
08/15/2011
08/14/2011
TOM FELTON: Talking About the Apes
Several months ago Ape Central editor Ed Gross sat down for an exclusive chat with actor Tom Felton, obstensibly about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but the conversation eventually turned to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. That portion of the interview is presented below.
APE CENTRAL.NET: You've obviously moved on having scored Rise of the Planet of the Apes. How did you get cast in that?
TOM FELTON: It came out of nowhere, bizarrely. I actually went on my first proper holiday I've had for a while, and on the fourth day I got a call saying, “Would you fancy coming to Vancouver and we'll have a look at you, and think about taking on this role?” I was excited about it; I'm a huge fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise, so I was excited. I read the script and, honestly, it was one of the best things I've ever read, if not the best – certainly over the last few years – so I was excited to come over. And when I got to Vancouver I met with [director] Rupert Wyatt who's brilliantly directing the project at the moment, and I've been here for three weeks now.
APE CENTRAL.NET: How familiar are you with the old movies?
TOM FELTON: I've actually been re-introduced since joining this other franchise, if you will. I've had to do some research and go back a bit, but my dad was the most excited, because he was a big franchise fan back when he was a youngster. He was very excited. He keeps dropping quotes and names of old apes and things. APE CENTRAL.NET: When you watch those old films what do you think of them?
TOM FELTON: Well, I think it's always different when you're looking at a film from another time, but they are fantastic. I knew about them, and I knew what was going to happen, and a lot of the famous lines I knew – I've seen other franchises quoting from them – but it adds to the excitement, it adds to the magnitude of what I'm joining on to. It's fantastic; it made it even more exciting.
APE CENTRAL.NET: I think this approach – using the fourth film as a launching point rather than doing a direct remake of the original – is brilliant. It's really it's own thing in a lot of ways.
TOM FELTON: I couldn't agree more. Had I not had the knowledge that it was what it was, I almost wouldn't have put two and two together – it's such a great story set in completely different backdrops and atmospheres, so I'm sort of intrigued about how the Planet of the Apes fans take this, and kind of enjoy it, because everyone here is absolutely reveling in the story. it seems to me that it's going to appeal to absolutely everyone. Whether you're a fan of the franchise previously or not – you don't need a heavy understanding of what happened in Tim Burton's or in the original; it's sort of out on its own, in its own way. I mean, one of the golden rules is don't touch a classic, and it's fair to say that some of the originals are definitely classics and there's less pressure on the whole franchise if you're not trying to remake something, or please a certain genre of fans. It's something completely new.
APE CENTRAL.NET: And how about working with Rupert Wyatt?
TOM FELTON: It's been an absolute joy. I really thought, after the last four years of Potter, working with David Yates, that I wouldn't find anyone who's quite as incredible as him, but now on my first job I've found one. Rupert is unbelievably understanding and approachable, and a completely nice guy, but at the same he's an absolute genius as well – he seems to notice tiny, tiny details that no one else does, and he can sort of control a set of ten plus actors single handedly, so it's been nothing but a joy. And he's come up with all these extra bits, if you will, that I wouldn't have thought of, that no one would have thought of, so it's been an absolute joy.
