EXC: Alan Cumming reveals he was almost sexually assaulted by a chimp
Alan Cumming has revealed he may have been sexually assaulted by his beloved chimpanzee costar, Tonka – however was saved by animal handlers who have been pressured to separate the pair regardless of their ‘lovely friendship.’
The 58-year-old starred alongside the primate within the 1997 movie Buddy, a comedy drama which was based mostly on a real-life gorilla referred to as Massa.
Speaking on the second annual Save the Chimps fundraiser in New York City final week – one 12 months after Tonka, now 32, was discovered alive and effectively following a frantic two-month search – Alan recounted to visitors how he had ‘fallen in love’ with the animal and even let it groom him.
‘Tonka and I actually linked and a lot in order that he wished to groom me,’ Alan recalled of their time on the movie. ‘When chimps groom, they do that humorous clicking noise and pull your hair and go to your armpits… the trainers have been like “no!”
Alan Cumming has revealed he was virtually sexually assaulted by his beloved chimpanzee costar, Tonka
Alan, pictured with Tonka on the premiere of Buddy in 1997, was banned from seeing him after filming wrapped
Alan, 58, pictured on the set of Tonka with Buddy and one other chimp
‘They realized that Tonka thought I used to be one other chimp… On the final day of the movie, they let Tonka groom me as a deal with.
‘I get actually emotional even speaking about it… We had this lovely friendship.’
Alan revealed that whereas he was doing the press tour for the movie, he was instructed that he was unable to reunite with Tonka over fears he would sexually assault him on account of changing into sexually aggressive on hitting puberty.
‘I got here again to do the press tour and I might discuss it, how Tonka was actually linked to me,’ he continued.
‘It was highly effective. I got here again to do the press tour and I used to be like “I’ll go and see Tonka”.
‘Then I did this morning discuss present, and this producer got here into the room and mentioned “it’s a shame about Tonka isn’t it?” and I used to be like “what, did he die?”
‘They went: “No. Because he’s now five or six he’s more sexually aggressive and the trainers were worried if he saw you…”‘
Alan continued: ‘Basically, as a result of he was sexually aggressive and he liked me, he was mainly going to sexually assault me.’
The actor claims he had a ‘lovely friendship’ with Tonka after they starred alongside one another within the comedy drama which additionally featured Renee Russo (pictured)
Tonka was discovered alive and effectively final 12 months after his proprietor claimed he had died in 2021
Alan’s surprising story comes one 12 months after Tonka was discovered alive after his proprietor admitted to faking his dying to keep away from turning him over to an ape sanctuary.
In April 2022, the actor supplied a $10,000 reward to anybody who may assist find the animal alongside animal welfare charity PETA, which additionally pledged $10,000.
Before he was discovered, Tonka was final seen in a cage in a controversial breeding facility in Missouri referred to as Missouri Primate Foundation, which PETA claimed was ‘filthy.’
His proprietor Tonia Haddix had claimed the chimp had died in May 2021 from coronary heart failure after a stroke.
But, in a weird twist, Tonka was present in Tonia’s Missouri dwelling, with Rolling Stone stating the chimp had ‘entry to a 60-inch TV and a pill gadget’ and had even attended a St Patrick’s Day celebration.
When requested if she had lied in regards to the animal’s dying, the proprietor instructed the publication: ‘Oh completely, one hundred pc’.
Tonia added that she had faked Tonka’s dying to keep away from sending him to the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida – regardless of a courtroom order from a choose.
At the time, PETA had additionally claimed that Tonia had booked for Tonka to be euthanized – though she denied this and says it was merely an ordinary check-up.
Alan, who was instructed Tonka had retired to Palm Springs following their time on Buddy, recalled how Tonia instructed him she had cremated his former costar – however PETA refused to imagine her story.
Alan additionally revealed how Tonka was allowed to ‘groom him’ as a ‘deal with’ on the final day of filming Buddy
‘She mentioned he had died and she or he had cremated him within the again yard,’ the actor mentioned. ‘I used to be like “shut up”. At the final minute poor Tonka doesn’t get to dwell out his life and socialize with different chimps, [but] PETA didn’t imagine that he’s useless…
‘They mentioned that the data she’d given them about how she cremated him couldn’t have even roasted a turkey.’
Tonka is now considered one of greater than 200 chimps who dwell at a privately-funded sanctuary in St. Lucie County, Florida.
He additionally starred alongside Brendan Fraser in George of the Jungle.
His hit movie Buddy was about rich eccentric Trudy, performed by Rene Russo, who collects wild animals.
She then meets the sicky younger gorilla Buddy and raises him as her personal little one, dressing him in up and coaching him.
But as Buddy grows older and bigger, Trudy is unable to restrain him from turning more and more violent, based on the movie’s synopsis.
The story is loosely based mostly on an actual life socialite from the Nineteen Twenties who raised animals in her mansion.
She wished to protest ‘inhumane zoo situations,’ based on the Tampa Bay Times
