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ARMS BEARERS As General Thade, Roth indulges his character's bloodlust -- despite his strong anti-gun political beliefs

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Planet of the Apes (Movie - 2001)

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Roth is a vocal supporter of gun control. Heston is president of the National Rifle Association. How did the two feel about doing a scene together, which actually revolves around a gun?
Roth admits that he was ''not comfortable'' aping opposite Heston. ''I come from the exact opposite end of the political spectrum,'' says the English actor. ''Burton had to persuade me to do it. Finally, I decided that it was okay because it's fiction.'' And Heston had no problem with his brief scene even though it highlights the violent nature of firearms, says Zanuck. ''I was apprehensive when we wrote the scene and sent it to him. We didn't hear back from him for a while. Finally, I called him up and asked him what he thought of the lines. He said, 'Oh yeah, I think they're wonderful.' I thought, 'Oh, thank God, we got away with the gun.'''

The Internet has been flooded with rumors that Burton shot five different endings for the film. What's the truth?
The director insists that the conclusion we see is the only one he filmed. ''There wasn't time to do anything else,'' Burton says. However, he clearly chose to keep some cast members in the dark about the ending. The day before the July 23 premiere, when a reporter described the movie's surprise denouement to Warren, the actress turned to her publicist and sputtered, ''Is THAT the ending? Seriously?'' In her copy of the script, Warren says, the film ended with her final scene (which is now the movie's penultimate one). ''Everybody's been asking me, and I've been answering, 'Yeah, there's only one ending.' I've been saying that the entire time. But [the film's actual ending] isn't the one I knew about.''

The ending we see is a stunner in the manner of the '68 film, and it, too, involves an instantly recognizable location. Was it intended to make the audience ask burning questions of their own as they walk out of the theater?
Hey, this is Hollywood. If the box office is big, we can expect to visit this ''Planet'' again. ''I'm not saying there's going to be a sequel because nobody has said that yet,'' says Zanuck. ''But the questions that the ending provokes will be answered in another installment.'' Huh? Walhberg is no more helpful: ''Well, I get the ending. So if I explain it, I'm going to have to give it away. If you see it again, you'll get it. The sole purpose of these interviews is to promote the movie, so go see it three times!'' In other words, stop asking so many questions, you damn dirty humans!