“War for the Planet of the Apes” star Woody Harrelson was “freaking” when he saw the franchise's first film

e_getty_woody_harrelson_07102017

Getty Images/Ray Tamarra(NEW YORK) — Actor Woody Harrelson was a Planet of the Apes fanboy before he starred as the heavy in the upcoming War for the Planet of the Apes.

“When I saw the first one of this trilogy, I was freaking,” he said on Good Morning America Monday. “I said ‘This is amazing…I can’t wait to see the next one,’ then I saw the second one and I was like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to see the next one — and then I got to be in it! And it’s really cool!”

Woody plays Colonel, the human commander bent on wiping out the human-like, advanced apes.

The actor marveled at Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar and who helped revolutionize the motion-capture technology that brings Caesar and the other apes to life. Woody says acting opposite his motion-capture colleagues was interesting.

“It takes a couple of days. You got … all these dots on their faces, and they’re wearing these grey suits and …You see the camera right in front of their face and…it’s a little bit of getting used to…And Andy [Serkis] — one of the greatest actors I’ve ever worked with,” says Harrelson. “Incredible.”

With War, this brings Harrelson’s movie franchise count to three, along with The Hunger Games, and the upcoming Star Wars Han Solo film.  While he’s having fun, he says his daughters Zoe, 20, Deni, 24, and Makani, 11, aren’t impressed with their dad’s resume. 

“Well, they’re hard to impress these days, ” he laughed. “Very, very hard to impress but they haven’t seen the other two, so they’ve just seen Hunger Games so but we’ll see…”

War for the Planet of the Apes, which also stars Amiah Miller, Steve Zahn, and Judy Greer, opens Friday.


ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

static_digital_970x250_oar_2026_regional_haydenhomesamphitheater_0815

O.A.R. with Gavin DeGraw & Lisa Loeb

Join us at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater on Saturday, August 15, 2026, for an unforgettable evening featuring O.A.R., Gavin DeGraw’s soulful melodies, and Lisa Loeb’s heartfelt tunes, all in the beautiful outdoor setting of Bend, Oregon. Don’t

tekalli-duo-horizontal_edited

HDCM Concert Series: TEKALLI DUO

High Desert Chamber Music’s 18th season, presented by Washington Trust Bank and Lynch Murphy McLane LLP, concludes with the Tekalli Duo. This dynamic sibling violin and piano duo captivates audiences by their technical mastery as well as

image1_edited

HDCM Celebrity Recitals: PETER WILEY & ANNA POLONSKY

Frequent recital partners, Wiley and Polonsky are two charismatic virtuosos who captivate audiences wherever they perform. The Chamber Music Society of Utica raved “These performers exceeded all expectations as a dynamic duo. The selected repertoire…showed their heartfelt

494968082_1247681544031313_8100864998289731450_n_edited

HDCM Concert Series: TRIO BOHÉMO

High Desert Chamber Music’s 18th season, presented by Washington Trust Bank and Lynch Murphy McLane LLP, continues with Trio Bohémo. This electrifying Czech piano trio has taken the international stage by storm since their debut in 2019.