'The Hangover 2' Monkey Addicted To Cigarettes, Director Todd Phillips Says

UPDATE: Turns out there's been no primate nicotine addiction; Todd Phillips, comedy director, was making a joke.

When asked by Movieline about his smoking monkey, Phillips said:

This was a joke. I make comedies.

If you read the story, it doesn’t even make sense. “On the set of her new film, she won’t stop smoking cigarettes”. Umm. Really? Maybe just take them away from her. Or at least take her money away so she can’t buy them any longer.

When you are doing press for a film, it tends to get repetitive, lots of the same questions over and over. Sometimes I like to mix it up with the journalists. Obviously, the monkey in the film NEVER smoked a single cigarette. There are people on set whose sole job is to protect that monkey. Even if I wanted her to smoke it wouldn’t be allowed. By the way, she also appears to do cocaine in the movie, but I guarantee you that she didn’t do that either (I can’t, however, comment on Ken Jeong’s cocaine use in the film).

Sorry for the confusion, but it definitely is a funny headline “PETA pissed after Todd Phillips gets Hangover 2 monkey addicted to cigarettes.” Definitely one for the office wall.

PREVIOUSLY:

Maybe this monkey is a true method actor?

While intricate plot details are still sparse, one of the biggest parts of the marketing campaign for "The Hangover Part II" has been its badass biker monkey. Trailers show that it appears on the floor of the Wolf Pack's Thai hotel, feigning a sex act (which got the trailer pulled by the MPAA), and it graces a number of promo posters for the upcoming comedy. Apparently, all that bad behavior on screen has led it to picking up a nasty off-screen habit, too.

Director Todd Phillips told Total Film Magazine that his monkey star is causing havoc on another set -- because he's constantly craving cigarettes.

"I wanted the monkey to smoke so we had to train her to," Phillips said (via Movieline). "Now I have PETA after me because the monkey's become addicted to cigarettes. She was just shooting Cameron Crowe's movie 'We Bought A Zoo.' And the monkey won't stop smoking..."

Perhaps the monkey is part of why Zach Galifianakis called Thailand so "unboring."

"I don't really want to go back because I find that I might be bored when I go back to the United States," he told Entertainment Tonight. "This is, like, the most un-boring place. I just love it."

Check out the monkey's antics in the trailer below.

WATCH:

Comments

[ibxclusive247]

04:17 PM on 04/20/2011

Put some pics up of Jamie Chung. These guys got it right...

http://nationalskirtday.com/2011/04/20/jamie-chung-the-hangover-2/

[minusjason]

10:03 PM on 04/18/2011

Ack, I got trolled! Curse you Todd Phillips!

[Pandora1]

07:39 PM on 04/17/2011

Even if it's not true that he's not addicted/smoking, we forget that the majority of animals we portray in debased ways are NOT acting -- simply obeying orders from their trainers. Given the fact that we share 96% of our DNA with chimps I'd be surprised if we recognize cruelty against all vulnerable sentient beings at all just for entertainment or sport -- even people.

[squiems]

01:02 PM on 04/20/2011

yea, well you also share the majority of your DNA with a banana, and about 95% with a rat.

[Pandora1]

02:58 PM on 04/20/2011

Very mature and thoughtful response, squiems -- thanks so much for responding.

[MoreBlaseThanMost]

12:15 PM on 04/23/2011

Lighten up Francis. It's a gd movie about having a bachelor party in Thailand. I'd be more offended if there wasn't a monkey smoking a cigarette and doing blow. I heard they made a tiger eat a steak laced with sleeping pills in the first one! (Gasp!)

[IndependentBadger]

04:25 PM on 04/17/2011

Wait. He pissed off PETA?

So basically all we know is that he breathes, and thinks for himself occasionally. I mean, who HASN'T pissed off PETA? I wouldn't be surprised to see one of those PETArded billboards trashing PETA itself.

Those people have to be the most self-obsessed Martyr Complex Poster Children under the sun. Pissing them off should come with some sort of prize from humanity, presented at the UN, or a nice library, etc. Good work dude.

[Don Treadwell]

09:31 AM on 04/17/2011

A monkey smoking cigarettes is nothing new. Doesn't everyone remember the poster in Science class of a variety of animals smoking cigarettes, with the caption reading, "It looks just as stupid when you do it." Knaves.

[StephenJK]

11:28 AM on 04/17/2011

A monkey being subjected to all manner of human laboratory curiosities is nothing new. It's also shameful.

[IndependentBadger]

04:26 PM on 04/17/2011

Oh GOD. So, do you write Nickelodeon letters when Mister Ed comes on?

[squiems]

01:02 PM on 04/20/2011

chances are the majority of the people you know, and you yourself, are only alive today due in some way to animal research, you ingrate.

[littlebrowngirl]

12:38 AM on 04/17/2011

So does the monkey have a monkey on his back?

[StephenJK]

11:29 AM on 04/17/2011

No. Usually, monkeys have humans on their backs.

[MiaisAwesome]

12:27 AM on 04/17/2011

Nice publicity stunt!

Not.

[nanoscare]

10:15 PM on 04/16/2011

The monkey has quit several times. But he always gets too fat and nobody will hire him. It could be an excuse.

[TruIndyVoter]

09:37 PM on 04/16/2011

CALM DOWN PEOPLE... I have collegues who have worked with this monkey. It is the most spoiled animal in Hollywood. The director's comments were a joke. He is promoting a movie, remember?!! There is no way AHA would let an animal smoke for a movie. Here is the link where the director confesses...

http://www.movieline.com/2011/04/todd-phillips-smoking-hangover-2-monkey-quote-was-a-joke.php

[IndependentBadger]

04:28 PM on 04/17/2011

You're talking to PETArds. Have some compassion. These people were born with a sense of humor that was subsequently destroyed at PETA headquarters for containing too much fun.

[Jyhm Florio]

11:47 PM on 05/30/2011

The problem is AHA has already stated they were denied access to the set, the film has not been monitored by AHA, and will not contain their disclaimer at the end. (If any Disclaimer is there, it is unauthorized. They've already stated this, numerous times on numerous sites and to numerous news agencies)

[From my cold dead hands]

09:31 PM on 04/16/2011

Oook oook?

Haack cough.... ook?

[Morgantheaxe]

09:23 PM on 04/16/2011

Hangover 2 made him addicted or the monkeys owner who gave him a treat every time he puffed a cigarette on que made him addicted? Think it through people. This smells like a PITA hit job.

[Abigailia]

09:19 PM on 04/16/2011

Yet another reason not to watch "Hangover 2"

[cjk002]

09:18 PM on 04/16/2011

"'The Hangover 2' Made Monkey Actually Addicted To Smoking"

Did said monkey write the front-page headline for this article?

[minusjason]

09:11 PM on 04/16/2011

Actually, that's not cool... they could have just taught it to pretend, and then added the smoke with CG or something... no doubt it's harmful to the animal.

[squiems]

01:04 PM on 04/20/2011

did anybody here read the actual article? sheesh

[Jazmo]

09:03 PM on 04/16/2011

There's a bunch of stuff out there about chimps smoking. It wouldn't surprise me if Phillips made the whole thing up. Those little monkeys smoke in a fair number of movies and how many of them become addicted?