Lydia Peckham on the film set of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Photo: Lydia Peckham
New Zealand actress Lydia Peckham has recently made her Hollywood debut, in the latest instalment of the Planet of the Apes franchise.
She landed the role of a young chimpanzee named Soona, in 20th Century Studios' Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - thanks to an audition tape involving a camera bungy-tied to a tree.
The film is set many years after the previous movies in the franchise, with the apes having established themselves as the dominant species on earth.
All of the apes in the sci-fi blockbuster were played by real actors, filmed mostly on location in Australia, before special effects were added on top.
It took a stint of intensive training in 'ape school' for Ms Peckham to master the role; learning to think and move like Soona, and portray emotions through movement rather than speech.
