It seems that every actor who has worked with wildly visual, highly creative filmmaker Tim Burton gives thanks for the mere chance to play any part in his films. His ability to present entire, fully-imagined, diverse, if mostly dark, worlds has impressed filmgoers, actors and craftsmen alike. This summer he's taken on the "re-imagining" of a classic and, whether hit or miss, the world of simian/human conflict he creates will bear the mark of his unique style. Here, Burton talks about what excites him, the changing craft of movie-making, how he feels about Internet rumors and the responsibility of "re-imagining" a classic.

How was working with the star of the original film, Charlton Heston?

It was great. He was obviously such a part of this whole Planet of the Apes mythology. To hear his voice just makes me….there are few voices that just get me excited and make me smile and he's got one.

You've taken on mythology before but is there a certain amount of baggage that comes with taking on a project like this?

Absolutely. I'd dealt with this before doing Batman but Batman didn't have an iconic movie to go along with it as this one does. That's daunting although knowing that it wasn't a re-make, I sort of felt it was okay to just do a different take on it. The odd thing for me is that I grew up on the movie. I'm a fan and yet I still don't know what people's expectations are so you just try to be true to the overall spirit of it somehow.

For instance we changed the story and characters and one of the things that was important was keeping apes performed by humans. Those kinds of things were crucial to keeping the spirit of it for me. Even when I was ten years old and didn't know anything about movies, I got excited knowing they were actors and there's something weird about humans playing apes.

Did you consider doing the apes with digital imaging?

Talked about it but no, I wouldn't have done that.

Will people who never saw the original get this film?

I don't know. What we tried to do is put in a few symbols and things but we tried to do it in a different context. Even down to location we shot a little bit in Lake Powell where some of the first one was shot. We used it in a different way. You wouldn't necessarily have to know the original.

There were rampant rumors about a love scene between ape Ari and Mark Wahlberg's character. What's with that?

Yeah, it's on all these bestiality websites that keep popping up. I actually haven't heard many stories. I feel like I'm living in my own parallel universe or have an evil twin that's out there doing things I don't know about.

On the Internet, we heard a lot about last-minute shoots….

Me too. My evil twin did that. I'm Dr. Jeckyl and that was done by Mr. Hyde. The Internet is scary. People have got to take it easy because it's gonna take us down a bad path if we start believing what some guy in a cabin in Montana writes on the net.

There are a lot of ape images that are interesting in the film, especially with the ape army. How influenced were you by the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz for example?

I'm terrified of monkeys anyway. You bring up a good point. I did discuss that with our movement guys. Remember that (Oz) shot of where they flew down and then were running? Yeah, it was a strong image but, in general...especially chimps, we all think that they're cute. Some people I know want them as pets. I'd rather have a psycho killer living in my house than a chimp. That's what they're like. They can go crazy. They're so intense, so strong and their minds are quite tricky.

Then why make a movie called Planet of the Apes?

Well, you know it's nice to face your fears every now and then. It keeps your energy going. It's like with Tim Roth, we wanted to show that side of chimps, the way I really feel about them. On the set he was scaring me.

In the original movie, there are several moments that surprise or catch the audience off guard. Did you try to do that?

That's why, when we were coming up with this whole thing, I looked back at the material from the book to all the movies and that's part of the dynamic of the structure of Planet of the Apes. You never quite know where you are and it's this sort of circular thing of life turning around on itself. Those big questions that aren't answered, like 'Where do we come from? Are we moving ahead or back? Are we evolving or de-volving'? Darwinism versus religious beliefs are all whoa, heavy duty.

This is not a re-make of Planet of the Apes. Did you ever consider calling it something else?

No. Because it's like an old myth. If people are expecting a re-make, it could be bad. I try to say it's not but no matter how much I say it, it doesn't matter.

It must be difficult for all those actors getting into those costumes. Did you get complaints?

On a movie set, it's either too hot or too cold. I've never been on a set where you say 'Ah, this is pleasant'. You have your apes which are burning, dying and melting and then you've got your humans who are freezing their asses off at the same time. That's on a daily basis.

When you are shooting so much action, how do you work with the characters so they don't just feel like another prop?

Well, I don't feel that way about them. Part of my energy on a set is the simple enjoyment of seeing actors work. I enjoy it and get excited about it. I know what torture they're going through. It's not all glamorous to get up at two in the morning and basically have a root canal and do a full day of work. I appreciate that.

You avoid pop songs in soundtracks. The music in your films is always wonderful. Did you have a lot to say about it in this film?

I like the score. I think Danny (Elfman) did a particularly good job. I like his weird mix. I like the twisted energy of it that he got. It's important. It's like a character. It really is a guidepost for the tone of the film.

Are you an art school grad?

Not a grad. I'm a drop-out, a Cal Arts drop-out which maybe is a good thing.

There is an opinion that some of the best and brightest artists have abandoned their usual crafts to go off and make movies or commercials on the net. Do you agree with that?

Look at how, when the Internet came, it was like the gold rush all of a sudden. It's interesting to live in a time when you see that crazy dynamic happening. It's true. Art forms do get devoured.

I remember doing Nightmare Before Christmas and I held out for several years because I wanted to do it in stop-motion animation. Even though computers are great, that was right for that film. It was the last bastion of that in a way because all those guys who were great stop-motion animators have all gone off, because the computer world is now the thing. They still get to apply their artistry but maybe not in quite as pure a form.

Some of your films are very commercial, others very individualistic, distinctive films. Do you think about that when you are making them?

I think, partially because I didn't go to film school or have proper training or background, that I've always just relied on myself. I'm not intellectually proficient enough to manufacture some pseudo-intellectual thing. I either get it or I don't and I'm kind of simple that way. That whole thing about a personal versus a studio movie, I mean it's all the same to me. Some might feel slightly more personal but they're all personal.

How important is it that this movie is a big hit?

Well, I know it's a big investment. I'm not an idiot who likes to throw money around. But, every movie that ever came out from me could have gone either way as far as my mind was concerned.

What are your influences?

Everything. I try to keep open to life. I like travelling, just staring sometimes. I remember when I had pneumonia and I got in a kind of hallucinatory state and I stared at a doorknob for two hours. You just try to be open to everything, see things in a different way.

Filmography:

Director
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Ed Wood (1994)
Batman Returns (1992)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Batman (1989)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Frankenweenie (1984)

Producer
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Batman Forever (1995)
Ed Wood (1994)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Lynn Barker

Day Ten: Locarno Goes Apes
Planet Of The Apes