Yahoo Movies Gladiator 2's Fred Hechinger reveals improvised monkey moment
Fred Hechinger didn't just have Joseph Quinn as a major scene partner in Gladiator II, and his other one was a bit more unpredictable.
As co-emperor Geta, Hechinger has numerous scenes in the sequel with Geta's pet monkey Dundus, which marked Sherry the monkey's first-ever movie role.
"I hope it's not her last, she's great," he told Digital Spy. "And there's a bunch of key moments in which Sherry made choices, in the moment that ended up in the movie.
"There's a very important kind of pivotal jump that Dundus makes from one character to another, and that was something that Sherry added, that was not in the script. The way that Ridley films, he's got eight cameras running at all times, so everything is covered.
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"So when you're working with a monkey who's doing all these spontaneous incredible things, the coverage is making sure that that can be in the movie."
For some actors, the unpredictability of a co-star might be a challenge, but Hechinger welcomed the unique nature of filming with Sherry.
"I find as an actor, it's such a joy to be surprised. You're sort of looking for surprise. You're looking for things to shake you out of yourself and, obviously, an animal is always surprising," he explained.
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"And for this character, he's quite impulsive, so it makes sense that he's so close with an impulsive monkey."
Hechinger also spoke to Digital Spy about the criticism of the historical accuracy of Gladiator 2, while Denzel Washington has responded to the early Oscar buzz for his role as Macrinus.
Gladiator II is out now in UK cinemas and is released in US cinemas on November 22.
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