Benzo Theodore directed a great little video of Rocky the Orangutan trying to get his Hollywood break by going on an audition. This a second in a series of viral videos created by unbuttonedfilms to promote Levi’s jeans. A couple of weeks ago their video of Guys Jumping & Doing Backflips Into Their Jeans (also directed by Benzo Theodore) made the rounds, racking up over 3 million views so far on YouTube.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Orangutans and other great apes should not be used in advertising. Not only is it demeaning for such an intelligent and sentient creature, it is widely known that these “ape actors” have usually been taken from their mothers at a young age (this orangutan would still have been with its mother in the wild at its age.) Furthermore, to get a strong animal like this to act and do as they are told requires either excessive force or denial of food, or both. Finally, this orangutan will soon be at an age where he is unmanageable and no longer cute. What happens to him then? As orangutans can live to 60 or more years, who is to look after him after his acting career is over.
It is morally reprehensible to use apes in this way.
What would possibly make Levis think this is acceptable? It’s not funny. It’s stupid. And shameful. Orangutans are critically endangered and could be extinct in the wild in less than ten years at the current rate of deforestation in Indonesia.
Hey Levis– If you’re reading this, I have a challenge for you: Why don’t you help save the orangutans instead of exploiting them? Visit redapes.org and learn how you can help….
Very sadness… Orangutan should be in the forest… not acting like human… their attitude not like in your video…
Don’t you know if you got one Orangutan in forest, you must kill 2 until 10 others orangutans??? first, her mother and her friends with their mother.
Habitat Orangutan is only in Sumatra island and Kalimantan/Borneo island… they are Indonesian critically endangered and will be extinct.
Where did you get the orangutan?
Really, it’s not funny, but your video like nightmare for me…
It’s interesting how the first comment always seems to dictate the direction of subsequent comments.
This is exploitation of an endangered species. A small group of people work tirelessly to get the word out on how these creatures are being killed and tortured for among other things smuggling baby orangs into the entertainment industry. And for what? For it to be destroyed by a commercial for a huge product with people thinking they’re cute and it’s perfectly OK to make them work for a living instead of living as they should.
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