Hot Info: Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals

In the new APES, the 30-year-old Wahlberg sans loincloth plays Leo Davidson, an astronaut who crash-lands on a planet of simians who rule over humans, treating them as lesser beings and slaves.

Just weeks before that Wahlberg was still shooting pickup shots for the film, with Burton running around from city to city trying to meet the deadline.

Mark Wahlberg may have spoken too soon when he accepted the lead role in director Tim Burton’s revised PLANET OF THE APES.

Believing his decision to star in the ape epic was the right one, Wahlberg arrived on set the first day of shooting terrified yet relieved to see Burton there to protect him from making a fool of himself.

“I promised Tim before really thinking about what I was getting myself into,” admits Wahlberg, who committed to the part within five minutes of the pair’s first meeting.

Unlike many actors, Wahlberg considers the script to be a secondary consideration.

Wahlberg says the key factor in choosing his film projects is the director as opposed to the script and Burton possesses the qualities he looks for.

The enormity of the film and the secrecy that surrounded it kept Wahlberg from even knowing how the story would end until a few days before they shot the final scene.

After all, the actor hadn’t even thought about the big shoes he’d have to fill taking on a part inspired by the one Charlton Heston played in the original 1968 version of APES.

On their heels is Commander Thade and his second-in-charge Attar , both of whom are purists believing in the separation of species.

“It’s cool, but Tim and I felt the same as far as approaching the character and trying to do something different and not living up to that,” Wahlberg says.

Working with directors like Paul Thomas Anderson , David O. Russell , James Gray and now Burton has convinced him he is right.

Sympathetic ape Ari , a human rights activist, helps them to safety, resulting in a deep bond forming between the two.

If the atmosphere was a bit strange during shooting, it may have been the fact that Roth, Duncan and Carter, when made up to be apes, tended to stay in character even during their lunch breaks.

Although Wahlberg and Heston share no scenes together, Wahlberg managed to meet the Oscar-winning actor briefly.

Having seen the original APES when he was a kid, and not having been particularly intrigued by it, Wahlberg took another look at the 1968 classic.

Davidson is captured along with some humans who inhabit the planet, and he quickly plans an escape to freedom.

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