- Crystal the Monkey
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Crystal Breed Capuchin monkey Sex Female Born Crystal
1993/1994 (age 17–18)[1]Nation from United States Occupation Monkey actor Years active 1997–present Owner Birds and Animals Unlimited Crystal (born in 1993 or 1994) is a female capuchin monkey and animal actor. She portrayed the irritating monkey Dexter in the 2006 film Night at the Museum and the 2009 sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. In 2011, she played a drug dealing monkey in The Hangover Part II.
Crystal lives with her handler and trainer, Tom Gunderson, and his family.[2]
Contents
Acting career
A female capuchin monkey and animal actress,[3] Crystal is owned by Birds and Animals Unlimited. Having appeared in over 20 films by 2011, Crystal first appeared in the 1997 film George of the Jungle.[1]
She is known for her roles in the 2007 film Night at the Museum and the 2009 sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as troublesome monkey Dexter. In the 2009 film, she slapped Ben Stiller while her trainer encouraged her with "Get him! Get him! Hit him harder! Hit him harder!" Stiller joked that "I really dislike the monkey. There's no way to feel great about having a monkey slap your face on any level."[4]
She has done cameos with David Hasselhoff in the 2011 film Hop and with Ken Jeong in the NBC comedy series Community.[1]
The Hangover Part II
Crystal portrays a drug dealing monkey in The Hangover Part II. Director Todd Philips raised concerns after he joked that Crystal had become addicted to cigarettes after learning to smoke them for the film.[5] Philips later explained that Crystal never actually held a lit cigarette on the film’s set,[5] the smoke was added digitally in post-production,[5] and the cigarette was ceramic.[1] Still PETA protested Crystal's appearance in the film for use of exotic animals for entertainment purposes, and the film does not carry the American Humane Association's disclaimer that "no animals were harmed" since the group was denied set visits.[5]
Ken Jeong, Crystal's fellow Hangover, as well as Community, actor, praised her, saying, "She's amazing. She's not a monkey, she's an actor. And quite possibly the best actor I've worked with."[1]
Filmography
Year Title Character 1997 George of the Jungle Baby monkey 1998 Dr. Dolittle Drunk Monkey 1999 American Pie 2000 Terror Tract 2001 Dr. Dolittle 2 Drunk Monkey American Pie 2 2004 Garfield: The Movie Pet monkey 2005 Fun with Dick and Jane Test monkey 2006 The Shaggy Dog Capuchin Night at the Museum Dexter 2007 3:10 to Yuma 2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Dexter/Able 2010-2011 Community Annie's Boobs 2011 The Hangover Part II Monkey Zookeeper Donald the Monkey References
- ^ a b c d e Alexander, Bryan (2011-05-24). "Crystal the 'Hangover' monkey comes out swinging". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z57kLPl6. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- ^ McDaniel, Matt (2011-05-27). "What's Missing From the Credits of 'The Hangover Part II'?". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 2011-06-01. http://www.webcitation.org/5z7ybYavz. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- ^ Everett, Cristina (2011-05-20). "'The Hangover 2' premiere: Crystal the monkey steals the show from star-studded cast". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z55doPhg. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ Weinfeld, Michael (2009-05-20). "More monkey slaps, more humiliation for Stiller in 'Night at the Museum' sequel". Associated Press. Breitbart.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z58wydVS. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- ^ a b c d Rottenberg, Josh (2011-05-14). "Monkey trouble?: 'The Hangover Part II' raises concerns from animal rights advocates". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. http://www.webcitation.org/5z56pPpjW. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
External links
Categories:- Animal actors
- Individual monkeys
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