Freya Allan and Owen Teague on embodying chimps at ape school

Have you ever heard of ape school? Nah, we’re not losing our minds – turns out Freya Allan and Owen Teague spent six weeks studying how to move, voice and embody apes before filming their latest action sci-fi film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Intrigued? Well, us too, and that’s why woo decided to sit down with the actors ahead of the film’s release. Let’s just say, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. From mystifying ice breakers that turn into massive hugs to ape-style greetings, it’s not a piece of cake to slip out of human and into primate.

“Figuring out a way to use my voice that was believably coming out of a chimpanzee was something I was nervous about,” Teague told us. Following over from the 1986 film franchise, the latest iteration sees a young ape go on a baffling journey of self-discovery as he questions the truths inherited to him and hopes to make choices that alter the course of human life. Watch as Allan and Teague tell us about their filming process, who would rebuild a society better and of course, more deets on ape academy, chimp class, whatever you wanna call it...

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes releases in cinemas on May 9