13 Actors Who’ve Gone Primal for 'Planet of the Apes'

This weekend’s 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' is the latest installment of one of the most successful franchises in movie history: Since the release of 1968’s Charlton Heston-led original, there have been eight feature films, two TV series, and one remarkable musical revue . Along the way, several big-name stars have donned elaborate ape costumes, a process so time-consuming, it would make most people go bananas (check out this footage of alpha-male Roddy McDowall getting his makeup.) Even the new CGI-created ape get-ups require hours of preparation: According to star Andy Serkis — who plays steely simian Caesar in both 'Dawn' and its 2011 predecessor, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' — the actors in the new film spent time in an “ape camp,” learning how to get into character. "We were doing these long, involved improvisations where we were working on hierarchy and character, some using sign language, some using ape vocalizations, [figuring out] how we would arrive at human language,” he told 'The Hollywood Reporter.' Here’s a look at the other stars who’ve gone 'Ape.'