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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the latest film in the acclaimed modern reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise, is officially in theaters today — Friday, May 10.
The film, set generations after the events of the original Andy Serkis as Caesar-starring trilogy, features veteran character actor Kevin Durand as the villain of the story, Proximus Caesar.
Proximus Caesar, who twists the ways of the original Caesar to become a monarchical ruler, is an advanced bonobo chimpanzee. He’s also partially based on Elon Musk, according to Durand.
“Even with the bonobo face, they compare me to Elon Musk,” Durand told the Total Film podcast. “I get Elon Musk all the time, actually, it’s very funny. People approach me with a look in their eye where I realize they are not meeting an actor that they like, it’s something bigger. But the fact that it comes through even when I’m an ape is fantastic!”
“I did look at really charismatic speakers — I watched [life coach] Tony Robbins quite a bit, Elon, Arnold Schwarzenegger doing like his governor speeches. Just these humans who, without trying, you just have to watch them, as they hold so much power and charisma.”
Durand, 50 years old, made his feature film debut in 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me as Bazooka Marksman Joe.
Over the last two-plus decades, Durand became known for his roles in TV shows such as The Strain and Lost, and films such as Walking Tallk, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Smokin’ Acles, The Butterfly Effect, 3:10 to Yuma, Robin Hood, Fruitvale Station, Noah, and more. In addition to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Durand also starred in the horror film Abigail.
In addition to Durand as Proximus Caesar, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes also stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan,Peter Macon, and William H. Macy.