Much of our best media reflects a mirror on society, and forces us to look at ourselves and wonder about the choices we make and their consequences. The Planet of the Apes franchise has always followed this maxim, encouraging humanity to look back at itself in an effort to understand human nature through the lens of a simian guise. In Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, ape society takes many forms, but there are glimpses of the human civilzations and subcultures they resemble, and sometimes what’s revealed is pretty unflattering.

In the main character, Noa (Owen Teague), we find a young chimpanzee who lives a rather sheltered life in tune with nature, within a clan that has cut itself off almost entirely from the rest of the world. This leads to their downfall, as they cannot protect themselves from the dangers of which they are blissfully unaware. Raka (Peter Macon) is an idealist, who, through studying the oral tradition, has come to believe there once existed a perfect society in which humans and apes lived peacefully. This blind faith leads him to hope for a simpler world, even when he is often presented with harsh realities. Proximus (Kevin Durand) is the realist who is more educated about the realities of humanity, whose thirst for knowledge and power leads him to inhabit all the worst characteristics of the human world he knows so well.

MovieWeb sat down with the actors behind the characters of Proximus and Raka for a surprisingly philosophical and fun discussion of the nature of both human and ape, and how the actors see themselves in their characters. Watch the engaging interview video above and read on for more.

Peter Macon Is Raka the Idealist

From the moment the audience meets Raka in the film, it’s impossible not to love him. Macon’s dark and sultry voice helps bring a sense of ease and comfort, but it’s the character’s comforting and wise nature that really leads one to trust Raka implicitly. It might be a hot take, but we think he’s the best character in the movie.

“Thank you for saying that, and I really appreciate that. I think Raka is a unique entity in this film,” said Peter Macon. “I feel like he is a great shift. The movie sort of moves in maybe three or four acts. I think when I show up with Raka and Noa and their storyline, I think the audience needs that […] I think [he’s] a feel-good guy. He gives free hugs.”

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“So we know who she would follow,” added Kevin Durand, gesturing toward us. His character is almost the polar opposite of Raka. Durand is phenomenal as Proximus, but he’s a fierce and disturbing antagonist. “You’re a peaceful, loving person. You’re not a realist, is what you are. You’re like, ‘No, let’s get lost in the poetry and let’s all dance together in this imaginary…” Durand leaped into Proximus’ terrifying growl of a voice and told us: “You will end up in a laboratory. You will end up in a cage if you follow this orangutan!”

“Fear gets you nowhere,” responded Macon. “Fear leads to more fear, my dear boy.”

Related Planet of the Apes: Facts you Didn’t Know About the Franchise Planet of the Apes has spawned many films throughout its history. Here we see fun facts that have flown under the radar.

Raka Is Who We Wish We Were. Proximus Is Who We Actually Are
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The harsh reality of The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is that, while the audience may connect and sympathize with Raka and may be horrified by Proximus’ brutal nature, it is Proximus who reflects humanity and its history far more than the gentle Raka. Durand and Macon discussed the ideological differences of the characters:

Kevin Durand: [Proximus has] learned everything that he knows from human history. You read, from the beginning of time for Homo sapiens, all we have done is kill all the flora and fauna and each other over little ideals. Over interpretations of written works and oral history. We can’t ever seem to just sit down and talk and find common ground and live peacefully. We never have been able to. And so here you have these completely different interpretations of the same words. And it’s really very, very resonant with what’s been happening in the world from the beginning of time.

We can’t seem to just agree or just listen to each other. We’ve never been able to. Will we ever be able to? Human history teaches us that we’re probably not going to. I hope we will.

Kevin Durand: So it’s really nice to say, ‘No, apes and humans worked together.’ [Raka]’s saying that because he got that through books, through the spoken word. [Proximus is] getting it from humans, and I’m reading the human books going, ‘No, humans are messed up.’ This movie serves as a mirror to us.

Peter Macon: Well, now that humans are no longer, that we know, the dominant species, they’re not necessarily the threat. Raka definitely believes that we can bring them up. They don’t have to be the same as they were. Maybe they’ve learned their lesson. They’ve fallen down, and maybe we can…

Kevin Durand: So we should ignore millions of years?

Peter Macon: No, not ignore it.

Kevin Durand: We’ll give them power again, and let’s see what happens. ‘Here, go ahead, take the ball, run with it for a while.’

Peter Macon: No, that’s not what I’m saying. I think that now that we’re more on an equal playing field, we have the opportunity to change the way that things are done.

Kevin Durand: Right. And we have an opportunity to know what it’s like to be experimented on.

Peter Macon: You’re just so stuck on that. I fear for you, my boy.

Kevin Durand: I can’t wait for the opportunity to get into a cage and just have food thrown at me.

Peter Macon: I’ll never be in a cage. We can have baby humans and baby apes together at school, learning and teaching and growing from one another. We can teach humans how to use their bodies more efficiently. We can teach them skills that we’ve learned, and we can share knowledge.

Related Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Review: A Great Continuation & Epic Beginning Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a worthy follow-up to the Caesar trilogy that skews closer to the original 1968 film and sets up a new trilogy.

The Proximus and Raka Show
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Durand and Macon are clearly passionate about the words their characters espouse, and it’s interesting to see them almost slip back into character while discussing the themes of the film. It’s performative, thoughtful, and fun. We could honestly just watch them debate, what with their playful and loving banter and heady ideas. They agree.

Kevin Durand: We’ve been talking about how we need to do a little short.

Peter Macon: We should have a TV show.

Kevin Durand: Where Proximus and Raka have a monthly dinner and they debate.

Kevin Durand: We’re actually friends, we actually connect a lot, but the characters have such incredibly different beliefs that it’s really fun, because we both get so deeply behind our characters. And when we start talking, it’s become this incredible kind of debate, just speaking for our characters. Because really, we’re kind of opposite of our characters in a way like we were talking about that earlier. Right? Like, in some ways we’re very different […]

Peter Macon: I love the idea of diametrically opposed philosophies, and we are able to engage in a healthy, productive debate, you know, asking the tough questions. That’s what we need. That’s what this world, this world that is the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, needs. That’s what our world that we live in needs.

Related Here’s What Every Planet of the Apes Movie Made at the Box Office The Planet of the Apes series has had major ups and downs, but over the years it has become one of the highest-grossing sci-fi franchises in history.

The Popcorn Entertainment of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Kevin Durand: But then also, on top of all of this philosophical stuff, you also can just go and sit in the theater, and have popcorn, and just enjoy the splendor of this beautiful spectacle. You don’t have to look beneath the surface. You can just enjoy it the way that you would enjoy a lot of films you go to. If you choose to look beneath, there’s a heck of a lot to unearth. As you can tell in the passion that we have speaking of these characters. It’s amazing.

Peter Macon: It’s a great, great deal of fun to improv, to debate on that level, but you can go to this film and just have fun with it, and not feel beaten over the head with messaging.

MovieWeb: It depends on how deep you want to delve into it yourself.

Kevin Durand: Yeah, multiple viewings, right? The first time you could just eat your popcorn and have fun, and then you’d be like, ‘Wait a second. That was like looking in the mirror really.’

Peter Macon: I need to put on my cardigan, with the elbow patches, and go and really…

Kevin Durand: Smoke a pipe.

Peter Macon: Sit and observe. There’s something there for everyone. It’s big action, loud, and then there’s like quiet, beautiful, still, serene moments too. So this is a smorgasbord of food on the table, to be able to take away from or to engage in. There’s something for everybody. And like, that’s cool, that’s the experience I like going to the movies for. Otherwise I stay at home. So don’t stay at home. See this movie.

Kevin Durand: On the biggest screen possible. Get out there and see it.

You heard the men. Produced by Oddball Entertainment and Jason T. Reed Productions, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is in theaters on May 10, 2024, from 20th Century Studios.