Y: The Last Man showrunner Eliza Clark revealed the special effects team for the show did such a good job creating the CGI monkey known as Ampersand that reps for the Humane Society thought the character was a real primate.
"We have the most amazing VFX producer that I've ever worked with. His name is Steven Pugh," Clark told CBR. "He's incredible, and he made me feel so safe. He was also such a good storyteller."
The showrunner also recalled a situation involving the Humane Society, which has to sign off on all animal actors, during the production of Season 1. Specifically, Clark explained, "So they watched the pilot, and they were like, 'Well, we can sign off on the horse and we can sign off on the dog, but we can't sign off on the monkey because we weren't there when you shot with him.' And I was like, 'He isn't real!'"
"So I think he looks great...," she continued. "When you see him fully finished, he fully looks like he is a monkey. It is amazing, and I am both surprised and delighted by it."
It was previously revealed that the Y: The Last Man pilot featured an actual monkey, but producers decided to go in a different direction after being criticized by PETA. At the time, PETA released a statement that said in part, "In an age when Aladdin and Dumbo have brought monkeys to life with realistic, humane computer-generated imagery, there's no excuse for dragging a live monkey onto the set of Y."
Clark also revealed that they ultimately decided to use a CGI stand-in for the series because Disney, who owns FX, has a "no primates" policy, as well as to protect the actor who portrays Yorick.
"And I think it is rooted in -- you know, I think it's a moral issue, and it's inhumane to work with primates," Clark noted. "So that's the reason not to work with them, but also, I was scared. Obviously, I thought it was the right thing to do, but I was also like, "But can he be great?" Because you see CG and you're like, 'I can tell that's CG.'"
While Y: The Last Man is based on the hit comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, Clark previously revealed that the series will diverge from the original series in some ways, saying at the time, "I think that's part of what's so fun about the book, is that it gives you the opportunity to play with time, play with genre."
Produced by Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson's Color Force (Pose, American Crime Story), Y: The Last Man stars Ben Schnetzer, Olivia Thirlby, Ashley Romans, Diane Lane, Laura de Carteret and Missi Pyle. The series premieres on FX on Hulu on Monday, Sept. 13.