Saying he is a comedy maker, Todd Phillips also said the animal is not a cocaine addict as portrayed in the movie either.
- Apr 18, 2011
AceShowbiz - There was a wrath from animal lovers when "The Hangover Part II" director Todd Phillips said the monkey in the comedy film is addicted to cigarettes. Phillips has followed up his statement, saying in an e-mail to Movie Line, "This was a joke. I make comedies."
Phillips' joke was quoted from an interview with Total Film Magazine. "I wanted the monkey to smoke so we had to train her to. She was just shooting Cameron Crowe's movie 'We Bought a Zoo'. And the monkey won't stop smoking," he said, adding later, "Now I have PETA after me because the monkey's become addicted to cigarettes."
In further defense of his then statement, Phillips said, "When you are doing press for a film, it tends to get repetitive, lots of the same questions over and over. Sometimes I like to mix it up with the journalists. Obviously, the monkey in the film NEVER smoked a single cigarette. Even if I wanted her to smoke it wouldn't be allowed."
Then, in an attempt to put everything on an open table, Phillips warned viewers that there will also be a scene in the movie where the primate is doing cocaine. "By the way, she also appears to do cocaine in the movie, but I guarantee you that she didn't do that either," Phillips said.
The sequel to "The Hangover" will be released in the U.S. on Memorial Day weekend, May 26. The gang are in Bangkok to celebrate Stu's wedding but they once again wake up without knowledge of what kind of wild night happen the night before. The monkey is featured prominently in the trailers and posters.
