ACTION ALERT

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
January 23, 2008

John C. Reilly’s latest film, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, features a very young chimpanzee “actor” who is meant to depict a chimpanzee that, sadly, Dewey Cox kept as a pet. 

What you can do:

Please contact John C. Reilly and producer Judd Apatow and tell them that, with the technology available today, using a live chimpanzee for the film just wasn’t necessary.  Let them know that exploiting a chimpanzee for entertainment is irresponsible and cruel.

Judd Apatow
Apatow Productions
11788 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: 310-943-4400
Fax: 310-479-0750
apatowprod@aol.com

John C. Reilly
c/o Framework Entertainment  
9057 Nemo St., Ste. C
West Hollywood, CA 90069

* If you send an email, please copy Primate Patrol at primatepatrol@chimpsanctuarynw.org for tracking purposes. 

Sample Letter/Email

Dear Mr. [Apatow], 

I am writing to express my strong disappointment that you chose to use a real chimpanzee for your production Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. While you may not have known this, the behind-the-scenes story on chimpanzee “actors” is very dark. Chimpanzees used in entertainment are taken away from their mothers at birth, which causes irreparable psychological harm.  Training methods are physically and psychologically brutal, and “retirement” at age 6 or 7 usually means being cast off to a roadside zoo or some other substandard facility.

Further, in this day and age of CGI technology, it’s simply inexcusable to use great apes in movies.  I hope you will never again exploit a great ape in your film productions.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: October 22, 2007