Interview With A Gorilla
© Despina Rosales, 2006
First published in
The
School Magazine
(Orbit,
September 2006, Vol. 91, No. 8)
Interview With A Gorilla:
TEXT
or
PDF
Illustrations by Tohby Riddle
IMPORTANT
NOTE:
Teachers and
parents, feel free to print out my
stories, poems or articles
to use in class or at
home. But please point out to the children that
referring
to animals as "it" -
as I did in these
articles - is wrong. Animals should
not be
given
the status of a thing ("it") but rather of a living
being ("he" or "she").
I know
better now and
would like kids to learn from my mistake.
I bet if you saw the film King Kong you thought it was awesome. That's because it was. And one of the awesome things about it was the gorilla. I was lucky enough to secure some time with Kenny, a gorilla who says he played the part of King Kong, to bring you this exclusive interview:
D: Kenny, the whole human world is so impressed with what you did in Peter Jackson's film.
K: Thank you very much Despina.
D: My pleasure. I'm sure anyone who's seen the film agrees that you did a superb job. Since you're a gorilla, how much acting did you have to do in the role? I mean, was King Kong's behaviour similar to typical gorilla behaviours, or did you really have to study your role?
K: Gorillas do many of the things King Kong does in the film.
D: Like what? Could you give us some examples?
K: Well, gorillas use all their limbs for climbing. We have fully opposable thumbs and big toes, so we can grip using either our hands or feet. Our arm and wrist bones aren't fused, and this gives more dexterity during the climb. On top of that, having a broad, muscular chest with shoulder blades at the back allows a wide range of movement at the shoulder joints.
D: Those climbing scenes at the very end must have been gruelling work.
K: In films it's take after take until the director is happy. Gorillas have massive strength in their limbs - I mean, a gorilla could easily rip a man's arms off without too much effort - so I didn't have to work out at the gym to build up strength for climbing, but the constant repetition was tough at times.
D: How true to life were the facial expressions you used in the film?
K: Gorillas use body gestures and facial expressions to communicate with other gorillas. We have a Relaxed Face when we're just chilling out, an Alert Face when something has caught our attention - just to name a couple.
D: And what about the body gestures?
K: Gorillas do something similar to the human yawn when they're nervous. And to defend ourselves against danger, we stand upright to make ourselves look even bigger than we already are. There was quite a bit of this in the film and quite a bit of chest-beating going on, which is also part of our defence when under attack.
D: And what if your opponent doesn't back off?
K: Well, if that's not enough to drive them away, it's time to charge, swipe them with a hand or simply knock them down.
D: Now, I understand you weren't able to just ad-lib your lines in the film; that Peter was adamant that you stick strictly to the script.
K: Yes. Although humans watching the film aren't likely to understand gorilla language, Peter was very keen on making it as close to the real thing as possible.
D: Tell us a little bit about the types of sounds that gorillas make. No voice coaching needed?
K: Gorillas aren't particularly noisy animals, but there are a lot of different ways we communicate verbally. Baby gorillas whimper if they're distressed or frightened. Humming and singing indicate a contented gorilla. An upset gorilla might cough or bark. A really upset gorilla may scream, which at full volume can be heard up to one and a half kilometres away. Now if that doesn't work, we begin to hoot - usually while beating our chests. And then there's a roaring sound we make when we're charging.
D: It's very likely you'll be offered other movie roles after the huge success of King Kong. What are your plans in terms of career?
K: Look, I don't have any aspirations to become a full-time actor. Maybe some work as an extra in an English period drama would be interesting, but like other gorillas, I enjoy the simple life. Originally I tried out for the character of Frodo in Lord Of The Rings. Aside from the hairy feet, Peter didn't think I was the kind of hobbit he was looking for. But he did mention that he might have a part for me to play in his next movie. When I got the phone call for the character Kong, I was initially concerned about becoming typecast, but after a little convincing from Peter I decided to go for it.
D: Are you still planning to return to the forest now that King Kong has brought you such fortune and fame?
K: All my life I've lived in the forests of Central Africa. I wouldn't leave my band to move to Hollywood. And I'm not talking rock band; a 'band' is what a group of gorillas is called.
D: Has your life changed? Are you out every night at restaurants being wined and dined by Hollywood big-shots?
K: No - not at all. The offers are there, but I'm not particularly interested. I like the family life and am keen on maintaining some privacy. In terms of food, I steer clear of restaurants. I'm happy with my forest diet.
D: Gorillas are mainly vegetarian, aren't they?
K: Yes, that's right. Gorillas forage for their food. I used to have to do that, but now I have boxes of bananas piling up on the forest floor from people who want me to endorse their products.
D: Really? So the offers are rolling in, eh?
K: Yeah, but I don't know where humans get the idea that gorillas eat only bananas. We eat other fruit too. We also eat leaves, stems and seeds, as well as a few small creatures, such as termites, that might find their way into our mouths.
D: And so as vegetarians, you'd have no need for canine teeth. Are the fangs in the film prosthetic then?
K: No, gorillas do have fangs. But you're right; they're not used for eating.
D: What are they used for then?
K: Self-defence.
D: In other words, biting.
K: Yes, exactly. But it's the last resort, only used when chest-beating and charging haven't worked.
D: Let's talk a little about the height of the gorilla in King Kong. In the film they described Kong as being twenty five feet tall.
K: Obviously, ordinary gorillas don't grow to those proportions in real life. Around six feet - or two metres - is the tallest male gorillas get.
D: So what was it like working with Naomi Watts?
K: She's great! Very talented, very professional, and very beautiful.
D: In the film, Kong recognised Naomi's character, Anne Darrow, easily by sight. How realistic would that be?
K: That's realistic enough. Gorillas do recognise things by sight, but gorillas certainly don't have the eyes of an eagle. In fact, our eyes being close together makes us a little near-sighted.
D: In the film, Kong quickly learnt the word 'beautiful' and communicated that to Anne. Is that really possible?
K: Gorillas have quite large brains relative to body size, which means we're intelligent, but it would take longer than a few seconds to start learning another species' language. Though I've heard of gorillas, such as Koko, learning sign language from humans.
D: The character Kong was amused by Anne's vaudeville antics.
K: Gorillas love to play, and we're not talking Monopoly here, it's rough-and-tumble physical stuff. So I guess Kong enjoyed the physicality of what Anne was doing. Wrestling and chasing are favourite gorilla games and some things she was doing - like falling over - may have come across like a game to Kong.
D: What about rumours linking you romantically with Naomi Watts. True or false?
K: Obviously false. Anyway, I like to keep my work and private life separate.
D: So what's on the agenda for the rest of today?
K: I've got an interview with one of the glossy magazines across town. Then I'm off to get measured up for a tuxedo for some awards night. They don't usually come off the rack in my size, so it's being specially made. And after that I'm doing a couple of lines in a banana commercial.
D: Ah, one of the banana guys won you over?
K: A gorilla's gotta make a living!
D: One last question. Did you really play the role of King Kong in the movie?
K: No. I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that. The real actor was Andy Serkis, who also got the gig playing Gollum in Lord of the Rings.
D: Have you ever met Peter Jackson?
K: No. I better go now...