Woody Harrelson reveals that he can barely stand to watch his War for the Planet of the Apes performance now. Harrelson played the Colonel in War for the Planet of the Apes, the lead human character and also main antagonist in the film. As his name indicates, Harrelson’s character is a military colonel leading the battle against Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his ape army.
Reflecting back on his performance in the 2017 film, Harrelson discusses his pained reaction to watching his War for the Planet of the Apes performance now. Speaking with NYT, Harrelson explains how he questions his past self when reviewing former roles. Referring to his War for the Planet of the Apes role, Harrelson feels like he “could do it 20 times better” now if given the chance. Check out the full quote from Harrelson below:
“When things are going right, I don’t feel rigid. But there are performances where I was like, ‘Why couldn’t I just get outside whatever I was doing?’ Ten years later, I’ll think of something I should have done in a scene, and I want to tear my head off. ‘Planet of the Apes,’ that’s one of those times where there was so much technology involved in what we were doing, I was a little daunted. If I did that part again, I could do it 20 times better.
There’s several roles that I go back and think: Why didn’t I try this? Why didn’t I do that? Why didn’t I step into a whole another character? But it’s probably best to let those things drop. They can haunt you.”
What’s Next for the Planet of the Apes Universe
Feeling overwhelmed by technology is certainly an understandable reaction coming from a War for the Planet of the Apes actor. While all the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy films do feature human characters, the film’s many ape characters require motion-capture technology. Harrelson was then stuck, in many scenes, to be one of the few regularly-costumed actors against a sea of button-and-wired-up costars on a green screen sound stage.
Unfortunately for Harrelson, he will likely not get another chance at the Planet of the Apes universe. The follow-up to War for the Planet of the Apes, titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, will take place many years after the events of the former film. Since the Colonel died in War for the Planet of the Apes, he would not factor into the chronologically later follow-up, thus will not reappear unless in flashback.
Little has been revealed about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The movie will trace Caesar’s legacy long after his death in War for the Planet of the Apes. It will likely feature predominantly new characters, with a lead cast that includes William H. Macu, Dichen Lachman, Kevin Durand, and Freya Allan. Hopefully those playing humans in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will walk away feeling better about their performances than Harrelson did.
Source: The New York Times
Key Release Dates
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes