The poster and advertising materials for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes list Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke and Keri Russell as the stars of Matt Reeves sequel. And yet, these human actors would be the first ones to tell you that they share the spotlight with the brilliant Andy Serkis and the motion-capture wizards who helped create the ape co-stars in this Apes sequel.
Earlier in the week, we spoke with Andy Serkis about the advancements in technology that have allowed him to perfect the art of portraying Caesar, the leader of the ape community trying to find its way in a post-viral society. But Jason Clarke and Keri Russell are newcomers to the art of acting alongside motion-capture artists, and I wanted to speak with them about the disconnect that might happen when you are performing in scenes with a human and, later, see it on screen as an ape:
These actors find themselves in a unique position when it comes to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. They are in a sequel to a successful movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but none of them were actually IN that movie! So I asked the actors if that has ever happened to them – if they’ve ever watched a movie, and asked their agents to get them into a sequel. Gary Oldman had an amazing answer.
Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues the action from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but picks up the storyline 10 years after the simian flu has infected the bulk of our planet. Caesar (Andy Serkis) has established a peace in the apes community. But a band of human survivors disrupts the flow when they stumble on Caesar’s camp, causing waves. The latest trailer has amazing footage. Give it a spin.
As you can tell from our review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, It is one of the smartest, multi-layered, progressive sequels of the summer season. It opens everywhere on Friday, July 11.
