King Kong won't be PC, Jackson says

Peter Jackson says he will not be "bending over backwards" to make his new movie King Kong politically correct.

"You always have to look at films in the context of the years they were made, and to put modern political beliefs onto something that was made in 1933 is obviously putting a spin on it that doesn't really exist," he told a Wellington press conference yesterday.

But Jackson said he wasn't out to offend anyone either.

"We're just attempting to make a wonderful mysterious adventure film. At the end of the day it's about gorillas, it's about dinosaurs, and lost islands."

His team had put a lot of thought into exploring the reality of what would happen if there was a relationship between a gorilla, who has lived by himself in "the most brutal environment", and the heroine Ann Darrow, played by Australian actor Naomi Watts.

Jackson said he was focusing on introducing the gorilla to a person he initially thinks he will kill. The gorilla then discovers empathy and emotions towards another living being.

"It's really fun to go into psychological depth with it," he said.

Naomi Watts said it was very sad Fay Wray, who played the original Ann Darrow, died before seeing the remake of the 1930s classic.

"Those are some big shoes to fill. She (Wray) did a wonderful job," she said.

Watts said she was lucky enough to meet Wray and speak to her of her experience working on King Kong.

"It was nice to have that connection, but it is very sad that she is not going to be able to see the movie."

Watts, who declined to scream for the media in Wray style, said her role was iconic, but hoped she would not be stuck with the Ann Darrow image after the film finishes.

"I have done a lot of different work before this movie and hopefully people won't suddenly see me as only this role."

- NZPA