How Elijah Wood Joined New Stephen King Adaptation The Monkey Last Minute But Still Gave A "Ridiculously Good" Performance Explained By Star

Elijah Wood might only have a brief scene in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey, but he is extremely memorable and a lot of fun. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Petey actor Colin O'Brien revealed that another actor was originally cast in the role, but when the stars aligned, Wood was brought in last minute to play Petey's stepfather, Ted.

The Monkey is based on a story by Stephen King, and it perfectly combines comedy and horror like so many of his works do. The movie follows twin brothers who discover a long-forgotten toy monkey, after which gruesome murders start occurring around them. Filmmaker Osgood Perkins, who wrote and directed the movie, is best known for last year's Longlegs. He ups the ante once more in his latest project, making an unforgettable cameo appearance and turning into a triple threat.

ScreenRant interviewed Colin O'Brien about his role in The Monkey and what his reaction was to reading the script for the first time. O'Brien revealed what it was like working opposite Theo James, who plays both of the grown-up twin brothers, and how it felt to see him basically have two different personalities. He also told the surprising story of how Wood came to be a part of the film.

Colin O'Brien Praises Elijah Wood For Joining The Monkey Late & Still Delivering A Great Performance

"Right Away, He Wanted To Be A Part Of It"

Wood plays one of the father figures in Petey's life, so even though he is not in the film for very long, O'Brien was able to spend some time with him. The young actor said he felt like he learned from watching Wood work, and was thoroughly impressed by him considering the circumstances of his inclusion.

"When we first were going to film that scene, they had someone else cast as the dad," O'Brien explained. "But I think Oz heard that Elijah Wood was going to be in Vancouver for Comic-Con, and so they sent him the script because he wanted to look at it." Upon reading it, right away, Wood "wanted to be a part of it" so he officially replaced the other actor.

Ted is an author and a parenting guru in The Monkey, which meant the scene called for lots of books and posters with his face all over them. "Within a couple of days, they did face scans, they got the poster boards, they printed the covers for all those books," O'Brien recalled. "And he was like, ridiculously good for the amount of time he had to prepare. He was hilarious."

The Monkey Star Found The Script Hilarious Even Though It Is Utterly Horrifying

"I Found Myself Laughing At Things I Felt Like I Shouldn't Have Been Laughing At"

The Monkey is filled to the brim with over-the-top, ridiculous, insane kills, pretty much from start to finish. O'Brien confessed, "When I first read the script, I felt kind of guilty because I found myself laughing at things I felt like I shouldn't have been laughing at." He went on to say that it made him think something was wrong with him. "For a while, I sort of carried this guilt with me, like is something wrong with me? Am I deranged?"

All of those fears went away when he first met with writer-director Osgood Perkins, however. "Something just clicked. I don't know what it was, but his humor just made sense."

O'Brien then shared how the script all came together for him. "The way he plays off the deaths to sort of emphasize the meaninglessness of death, I found that really, really interesting."

He added that what really drew him to The Monkey is that "it didn't fall into the same hole as a lot of other creepy doll or haunted toy movies."

Theo James Portraying Two Different Characters Made Colin O'Brien's Role Even More Challenging

"I Came Under The Impression That He Was This Really Serious Method Actor That I Couldn't Talk To Or Interact With

When asked about working opposite James as two different characters and what that was like, O'Brien immediately admitted that he has an interesting story about that.

"When I first got to set, I saw him go in and out of character with both twins off and on camera. And for some reason, I came under the impression that he was like this really serious method actor that I couldn't talk to or interact with."

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O'Brien explained that for a while filming, he "would purposely avoid sitting in the same room as him during lunch" so he wouldn't break James out of his character. "Then one day, randomly, he started talking to me about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and if I was interested in the martial arts," he recalls. "I was embarrassed, I'll be honest, but I learned a lesson from that news."

He said the experience opened up his mind and made him realize "how great of an actor" James is. "He's a lot more passionate about acting than I thought he was."

Be sure to check back soon for our other The Monkey interviews:

• Rohan Campbell
• Sarah Levy
• Christian Convery
• Theo James, Tatiana Maslany & Osgood Perkins

Source: Screen Rant Plus