Tim Roth: Charlton Heston’s Last Screen Time as Zaius in Planet of the Apes

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What is the role that first comes to mind when you think of Tim Roth? Is it the clumsy bellboy from Four Rooms? The wailing criminal who gets shot in Reservoir Dogs? Or is it the psychology wiz in Lie to Me? The excellent British actor has played a litany of noteworthy characters, but top among them is not likely to be his role in Tim Burton’s remake of Planet of the Apes. Regardless, his performance as General Thade gave him the opportunity to appear on-screen with Charlton Heston, a truly bittersweet experience considering it featured the controversial actor in one of his last roles.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Roth was at the 15th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival this week, where he offered a masterclass and also presented his latest feature film, Poison, a romantic drama he co-stars with Trine Dyrholm. The actor, who rose to prominence with films like Pulp Fiction, Rob Roy and was also featured in MCU projects like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, went through the highlights of his career during the masterclass. Curiously, he included his role in Burton’s maligned remake of Planet of the Apes, a film he refers to as “the monkey movie,” using the opportunity to talk about Heston, who shows up in a cameo playing the legacy character Zaius.

According to Roth, he and Heston’s meeting was a complicated one:

“He was the president of the NRA, so I was always against him, moaning and whining about it. [Director Tim Burton] was always having to deal with me and all of that. It was weird.

I’m not sure, but I think that they were his last lines ever, and he had Alzheimer’s at that time, so it was very difficult. He couldn’t keep the lines in his head. And so in his last cinematic moments, I’m sitting off camera, and I’m saying the lines to him, and he’s repeating them, and then I would say his next line, and he would repeat that. I couldn’t separate the political from the actual cinema. I learned that later and put that aside.”

Tim Burton’s remake of Planet of the Apes was a blockbuster, making over $362 million at the box office. However, the film was not well-received by critics, as many said it was confusing and didn’t match the quality of the original. Even though it was successful, a planned sequel was canceled, and the Planet of the Apes universe stayed dormant until 2011, when Rise of the Planet of the Apes restarted the franchise.

Tim Roth Also Spoke of His Experience Working With Other Hollywood Legends

These days, Roth stays closer to indie films, and you don’t often see him in big Hollywood projects or the MCU. His next project is the Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man. During the masterclass, he addressed jumping from movies to television, saying, “I always have a fear of unemployment. It’s very healthy.”

The Academy Award-nominated actor also shared his experiences working with major Hollywood figures. He said the following about David Lynch, as they worked together on Twin Peaks: The Return: “I was a huge fan… He was an extraordinary, fascinating director to watch. I would watch and take pictures of him throughout, and then put the camera down and go to work.”

About Quentin Tarantino, he gushed, saying of the writer/director, “he writes for you,” while his thoughts about Werner Herzog were even more effusive: “I have expectations in my head that they often don’t live up to, but sometimes do. I did a very obscure little film with Werner Herzog [Invincible], for example. And I love Werner’s movies, and always have. And it was absolutely fantastic. It was incredibly difficult and extremely fulfilling at the same time. So yeah, he was one that lived up to it.”

The Hollywood Reporter

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2025-03-16 22:42