Andy Serkis Quotes

...if you fall into a lion's pit, the reason the lion will tear you to pieces is not because it's hungry-be assured, zoo animals are amply fed-or because it's bloodthirsty, but because you've invaded it's territory.

My first day at MGM they decided to bring this lion out, male, and it was not the best time for him to see me. All of a sudden he thought I was in heat and this lion went into the dressing room, which was just a trailer on the sound stage, and went crazy.

Once I climbed into a mountain lion's cage and she bounded at me and put her paw on my face, but she kept her claws withdrawn.

I blame it on Walt Disney, where animals are given human qualities. People don't understand that a wild animal is not something that is nice to pat. It can seriously harm you.

Any dog, you put him in the corner, no matter if they're vicious or not, they're going to bite back.

Any observer is an intruder in the domain of a wild animal and must remember that the rights of that animal supersede human interests. An observer must also keep in mind that an animal's memories of one day's contact might well be reflected in the following day's behavior.

I am mad for nature writing. I want to get inside the head of every creature in the world, even ants.

Much hostile and aggressive behaviour among animals is the expression of social insecurity.

In every advanced mammalian species that survives and thrives, a common anthropological characteristic is the fierce behavior of the adult female of the species when she senses a threat to her cubs. The lioness, the tigress and the mama bear are all examples.

When the bull elephants are fighting it is best for the ants to go elsewhere.

Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout.

I have made my home among the mountain gorillas.

I once did a film in which I was being chased by wolves. I had a scene where the Alpha of the pack leapt on the hood of my car and stared me down through the windshield. I will never forget staring into those eyes; this wasn't a dog - not even a tough, bad-ass dog - no, this was a wolf.

Dogs are a window on the natural world.

When it was time to meet a chimpanzee, I got very, very anxious because they have the strength of ten men, so I hear.

I didn't find it that hard to channel the animalistic side of 'The Woman', I studied animals like apes and wolves, and researched how to throw off my feminine ways and just went out into the woods for a few days to learn how my body would feel if I had to do what she had to do.

Many expressions of a cat's feelings seem deeply related to the capture of live prey.

I observe how people walk, laugh and talk. More than people I observe animals.

Most creatures in nature die consciously. Cobras, for instance, choose a particular place on a particular branch of the tree. Many a times, I would try to force-feed them out of my misplaced compassion, but they would just puke and go back to sit on the same branch.

Basically, we are all chimps. The human side is at the front of our forehead, but the chimp is the part that lashes out. When I play, I am completely chimp-orientated.

A wild creature is not subject to any will except its own

I once saw a photograph of a large herd of wild elephants in Central Africa Seeing an airplane for the first time, and all in a state of wild collective terror... As, however, there were no journalists among them, the terror died down when the airplane was out of sight.

I have always thought that a wild animal never looks so well as when some obstacle of pronounced durability is between us. A personal experience has intensified rather than diminished that idea.

None of the Jungle People like being disturbed.

If you want to kick the tiger in his ass you'd better have a plan for dealing with his teeth