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There are times for Keri Russell when that famous line from “Planet of the Apes” runs through her mind: “Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape.”

Especially while fighting large furry creatures in the forests of Vancouver, where “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was shot. “All of the action scenes were fun because I grew up as a dancer, so I’m very physical,” Russell says. “There’s still something about fighting apes where you want to say, ‘OK, paws off!’ It’s a primal reaction.”

In “Dawn” (opening Friday), the star of FX’s “The Americans” plays Ellie, the wife of Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and a survivor of the ALZ-113 virus. It’s a decade past the events in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011) and the apes of Earth believe the humans have been wiped out and the few humans who remain believe the apes no longer exist. When they encounter each other again, it’s species vs. species.

“It doesn’t exactly bode well for the humans,” hints Russell with a laugh.

Q. What was the biggest hardship filming “Dawn” in the woods?

a. It was great, except there was no cell service. You’d be walking around the woods during breaks and then someone would yell out, “Oh my God, I got cell service! I found a bar!” Between takes, if anyone on this set found any cell service in those trees, the entire cast started scrambling and yelling, “Where, where, where?”

Q. What was the draw of doing this movie?

a. Director Matt Reeves was key. We worked together on “Felicity.” I knew that he had sensitive taste and that he would create intimacy between the characters. I knew wanted to make this an intricate, character-driven piece and show the sensibility of both humans and apes. I also thought that this could be a fun, summer action film and an epic, 3-D summer movie.

Q. Were you surprised when you got the call?

a. I said, “Really? Me? In ‘Planet of the Apes?’ ” I never even saw the original movies as a kid. I had a sense of them. I saw photos of them. So, I had a bit of catching up to do.

Q. How do you describe the new “Apes” film?

a. It’s a survival story. You think that this virus has perhaps wiped out all humans and all that is left is apes. She was helping fight the virus for the humans. She’s incredibly resourceful, but damaged and living in a makeshift family. She’s just trying to rebuild and live. Most of all, she doesn’t want to lose the few people left that she loves. She doesn’t want to let them out of her sight.

Q. How did you prepare for the role?

a. I read about female war journalists who lost so many people they loved due to the war. The woman I play in this new film has also lost a lot of loved ones. Now, she’s just trying to keep alive, but she’s deeply wounded.

Q. “The Americans” is such a huge hit. What do you think is the appeal of playing this KGB spy?

a. It’s been such a great experience. Roles like this aren’t available on film, so I’m so thankful for this exciting job. I love the challenge of playing this woman who becomes so many characters within one show. Thank God, we have the best hair and makeup people because they do a lot of the work.

Q. Don’t you live in Brooklyn right by the set?

a. Yes, I can bike home for lunch, put my baby down for a nap, and go back to spy work. It’s perfect.

Source: http://www.suntimes.com/

If, like me, you were a fan of the WB’s Felicity then it’s very amusing to ponder the fact that the co-creator of that series, Matt Reeves, and the show’s star, Keri Russell are teaming up again on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which Reeves directed. While Russell has worked with Felicity’s other creator — a guy named J.J. Abrams — since Felicity ended (in Mission: Impossible III), Apes marks her first time reuniting with Reeves.

As Russell remarked to me about the experience, “This is not the project I thought we’d be doing together, let’s be honest. He has this most beautiful film, this independent film, that he wrote that I would love to do, and we tried to get money for it a few years ago. It’s so good, and maybe, hopefully soon. But this is not that. [Laughs] This is so crazy and ambitious and epic. I had no idea what I was signing on for. He had a phone conversation with me and just said, ‘Please come do this.’ I said, ‘Matt, I’m finishing this show [The Americans], I’m so tired.’ He said, ‘Just come do this with me,’ and I’m so glad I did.” Continue reading Keri Russell on Dawn of the Planet of Apes’ Unlikely Felicity Reunion

Dawn opens ten years after the devastating Simian flu pandemic has decimated the human race, and the City by the Bay looks very different than moviegoers may remember from Rise. “I was very interested in telling the story from the apes’ point of view,” said Reeves, “To start the movie not in the post-apocalyptic world [of man], but instead in a world where it seemed it had been inherited by the new species of intelligent apes.” A rust-ravaged Golden Gate Bridge serves as a set of monkey bars for the apes to travel between their home in the Marin headlands to the now-desolate city of San Francisco. “The idea is that the earth would sort of start to reclaim this place,” said Reeves. “We tried to do it in as naturalistic a fashion as possible … what would happen here without humanity?”

Keri Russell, who plays the wife of Malcolm (Clarke) in the film, praised Serkis’ performance as Caesar, the genetically-enhanced ape. “Andy is just so good. That was really the treat of doing this movie. I really hope people start paying attention to him. He’s unbelievable.”

After the screening, the cast and crowd were ushered into the rotunda of the Palace of the Fine Arts, which had been transformed into a post-Simian Flu, apocalyptic afterparty. Dramatic up-lighting and overgrown branches shrouded the venue in deep shadows as floor-to-ceiling triptychs featuring Caesar’s iconic visage glowered over all. The dimly lit arena made distinguishing between guests almost impossible, keeping with the film’s message of the evening that, truly, we are all alike.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters July 11.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com