A shoo-in for Beast Picture
ACTRESS SHANNON ELIZABETH (below) has no problem being second banana to a simian in her upcoming film “Gibby.”
“It was easy when she wasn’t in heat,” Elizabeth says of Crystal the Monkey, who gets top billing in the film. “When she was in heat she didn’t want to be around me. She wanted to be around her trainer, who was a male. When that wasn’t going on, she was amazing. She sat on my shoulders and gave me kisses.”
The 41-year-old beauty, who made a name for herself as a sexy exchange student in “American Pie,” is all about the animals these days. She’ll soon start doing press for “Marshall’s Miracle,” about a three-legged dog rescued from an animal hoarder.
After that, she’s headed to South Africa and Zimbabwe for a six-week excursion that might even include meeting Jericho — the lion whose BFF Cecil was killed by an American hunter last month.
“The hunters are a problem, but the poachers are even worse,” she said. Her efforts — through Animal Avengers, an organization she started 10 years ago to help stray dogs and cats in Los Angeles — involve equipping rangers with radios that will help them do their jobs in impoverished countries where poachers and “sportsmen” kill animals illegally.
Fans wishing to help Elizabeth and the animals can do so at chuffed.org/project/shannon.