How did you get involved initially with the film?
I got a call from my agent while I was in the middle of a different project, and he let me know that Alejandro wanted to meet me. And at first I was pretty disappointed, because we just couldn’t figure out how it’d work from a scheduling perspective.
Mr. Kauflin, what was your reaction when you were approached about being in this film?
Kauflin: When Al asked me that, we had already known each other for a few years; he was a good buddy of mine. I knew he was a great drummer, and apparently he’s a good surfer as well.
Mr. Sachs, can you tell us about developing the story?
Sachs: This is my fifth feature, and all of my films – while not strictly autobiographical – are very personal to me, and connected to my own life on some level.
This is a huge movie. What was it like to begin this process and how did your relationships to each other develop?
Linklater: It was just like setting sail for uncharted territory. There was a plan there. We were going to see this kid grow up from first to twelfth grade.
Can you talk about the evolution of Caesar’s character from Rise of the Planet of the Apes to this film?
The approach to the role for me has always been to think of Caesar as having a human mind within an ape’s body.