TVSquad

While trying to keep up with all the casting news for the Wachowski brothers feature-length, live-action Speed Racer adaptation, I missed this bit of news.

As I've written before, the character of Chim Chim, Speed's monkey pal, would be played in the movie not by some animatronic 'bot or CGI creation, but by an actual flesh and blood chimp. Unfortunately, the chimp bit an actor on the set and was beaten, or so PETA was told, and the animal rights group sent a letter to producer Joel Silver asking him to stop using a real chimp.

However, the Humane Society, which has been monitoring the film, said no animals were being abused during shooting. The organization did confirm that one person was bitten, however.

I spoke with "Chim Chim" about this ordeal:

Me: So what happened?

Chim Chim: It's embarrassing. Okay, so, when you work with someone for a long time, sometimes feelings develop, right? So one night Christina Ricci and I are in her trailer doing Jello shots, one thing leads to another, and suddenly we're tearing each other's clothes off.

Me: You had clothes on.

Chim Chim: Yeah, I was dressed like a British constable.

Me: Go on.

Chim Chim: Well, we're both into SM stuff, so at one point I bite her head, and she, in turn, beat me with a stalk of celery. What we didn't know is that someone from craft services was watching through the window. The next day, it's all over the news that I'm some insane animal who's being beaten on set.

Me: The media really needs to do a better job covering these things.

Chim Chim: You're telling me.