A Hollywood actor’s star continues to rise, while he keeps his feet and family firmly planted right here in Kentucky.
With a little help from CGI, Steve Zahn’s expressive eyes, vocal choices and uncanny ape-like movements bring Bad Ape to life in 20th Century Fox’s ‘War for the Planet of the Apes.’ It hit theaters this past weekend to hordes of fans. Zahn has been in the business for decades but says he’s never had an opening quite like this one. “It’s just fun every once in awhile to be invited to the big dance. I go to a lot of little barn dances and you know, smaller movies have this life of like 12-years. You know, you expect people to come up to you 10-years later and say ‘hey I saw that movie you did’ and I’m like what? ‘You know that little independent’ I’m like we did that 12-year ago. ‘really?’ And it’s fun to do a movie that people go see right away.”
And see it they did. ‘War for Planet of the Apes’ topped the box office, edging out Spider Man and pulling in more than 56 million dollars in ticket sales. And while Zahn spent weeks traveling the US and overseas, today he’s back in the place he calls home. Kentucky. It’s where he gives back to young acting students and Kentucky Refugee Ministries. “That stuff is as fulfilling as anything I do. I mean, it’s as fulfilling as going to make Planet of the Apes.”
Coming up next week we’ll hear more about Zahn's work in the local arts community and with Kentucky Refugee Ministries. We'll also tell you how you can be a part of a project he and his family are working on that's helping others right here in Central Kentucky.
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