Alan Cumming Says He Can 'Empathize' withChimp CrazySubjects' Love of Chimpanzees

Mar. 15, 2025

Alan Cumming, Alan Cumming poses with chimp Tonka in May 1997.Photo:Ron Galella/Getty; Darren Gerrish/WireImage

Ron Galella/Getty; Darren Gerrish/WireImage

Alan Cummingsays that while he can “empathize” with the chimpanzee-loving subjects in the newChimp CrazyHBO documentarythat he’s prominently featured in, he hopes the project will “help highlight” the chimp trade and “the abuses happening at private zoos.”

The four-part documentary follows exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix as she’s involved in what a synopsis calls a “years-long saga” involving her, Tonka, PETA and even Cumming — as it focuses on “private primate ownership and the folly of imposing human traits onto captive apes who have no agency over where or how they live.”

“I really empathize with the people in this documentary, especially as someone who has really, truly loved the chimp myself,” Cumming told theTimesin an interview published Monday, Aug. 19.

Cumming — who has a soft spot for chimps, including the “very gentle” Tonka, who had a “calming influence” — also said he agreed to be in the documentary as he was “already working with PETA on this campaign to rescue Tonka,” per theTimes.

Alan Cumming speaks while holding a photograph of himself with Tonka, his chimpanzee co-star from the 1997 film ‘Buddy’ during an announcement on June 23, 2017.FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty

Aspreviously reported, Cumming teamed up with PETA in 2022 to help find out what happened to his primate pal and offered $10,000 for information leading to his discovery. PETA rescuers eventually found Tonka and relocated him to a sanctuary.

“I thoughtTiger Kinghad done a lot of good in terms of educating people about the whole animal trade,” Cumming said of working with Goode, who directed the new documentary. “I thought, ‘Oh, this will maybe help.’ Someone who’s doing something about the chimp trade and the abuses happening at private zoos, I would like to help highlight that.”

Cumming added that he has not worked professionally with wild animals since 1997’sBuddy. “We don’t need to [use them in films] anymore,” he toldThe Times. “I have lived through that change, being someone who actually was in a film with wild animals to someone who is actively campaigning for that not to happen.”

“It’s a big journey. I was naïve and I was ignorant,” he added. “I really do understand the deep love. But that’s hurting the animal; the animal’s not getting to live the life they were supposed to live.”

Alan Cumming attends the ‘Buddy’ premiere with Tonka in May 1997.Ron Galella/Getty

Ron Galella/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In the documentary, Haddix describes herself as the “Dolly Parton of Chimps” and reveals she’s raised seven monkeys at the Missouri Primate Foundation (previously known as Chimparty) and her Sunrise Beach home.

Chimp Crazyfollows her false claim that Tonka died in 2021, before PETA and Cumming renewed efforts in January 2022 to find the adult chimp, who was living in her finished basement in Sunrise Beach.

“He could only take a few steps in any direction, he was not allowed to go outside, he couldn’t feel the sun or the grass beneath his feet, he had no companionship with other chimpanzees —something extremely important to chimpanzees' welfare — he was overweight, likely from lack of exercise, and he was not receiving proper veterinary care,” PETA said in a statement at the time about where Tonka was discovered.

The first episode ofChimp Crazypremiered on HBO on Sunday, Aug. 18, with three additional episodes set to arrive on each Sunday to follow.

source: people.com