(Cover) - EN Showbiz - James Franco enjoyed the "old fashioned acting" involved in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

The 33-year-old actor stars as Will Rodman in the sci-fi drama, which is a prequel to the hugely successful Planet of the Apes movie franchise.

The movie is set in modern day San Francisco and documents the results of a man's experiments in genetic engineering. British actor Andy Serkis portrays ape Caesar in the film, and James thoroughly enjoyed shooting with him.

"I was able to work off of him in every scene and it's basically just going back to old fashioned acting where you have two actors that get to look at each other. It always creates a more grounded and realistic performance," he told Australia's Kyle and Jackie O radio show.

James considers director Rupert Wyatt's decision to use actors and not real apes in the film to be hugely significant. The actor was thrilled to see all of the greatest technological advancements being employed.

"You have all the apes made through CG technology, made by people behind Lord of the Rings and King Kong and Avatar so they're kind of the best at what they do visually," he smiled. (C) Cover Media