Dear Sara,
Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans all gave indelible performances in the original PLANET OF THE APES, but I’ve heard none of them were the first choices for their roles. Is this true or just a monkey business rumor?
Thanks,
Brian K.
Dear Brian,
It’s true. Cornelius, the chimpanzee played by McDowall, was originally offered to Rock Hudson. Zira, the chimpanzee doctor played by Hunter, was at one time going to be played by Julie Harris. Edward G. Robinson went so far as to do a screen test as Dr. Zaius, the orangutan ultimately played by Evans, to prove that the makeup created by John Chambers would actually work. The makeup was fine in cinematic terms, but wearing it for the amount of time required to make the film was too much for Hudson, Harris and Robinson. Enter actors with less sensitive skins, whose work in the film has stood up for nearly half a century now.
It’s In The Bag,
Sara Bellum, Editor-at-Large Buzzy Mag
