Actor Parker Mills claims that a job at a Nintendo event left him with a heart condition.
Whether he’s lobbing barrels at Mario or trying to recover the Kong clan’s bananas, Donkey Kong’s life is one filled with hard labor in less than optimum conditions. Have you ever actually thought about those underwater levels? Gorillas are not made to hold their breath that long. Even so, on the scale of danger, it would seem that being Donkey Kong isn’t even half as hazardous as pretending to be him.
That’s our take away, at least, from Parker Mills’ recent lawsuit against Nintendo. An actor, Mills was hired by the game company to work at a May 2013 event being hosted at the Los Angeles Zoo. Aimed at promoting the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, the job entailed wearing a Donkey Kong costume to entertain guests looking to “spend time” with the fictional ape. Things went awry however, when the Nintendo ambassador hired to accompany Mills and monitor his activities apparently denied him breaks and failed to provide an ice pack necessary to combat the hot weather.
According to his attorneys, this created “a very stressful environment” that led to Mills suffering an aortic dissection that would eventually require him to undergo surgery and receive a permanent heart defibrillator implant. What’s unclear right now is what Mills is seeking in compensation for his injuries. Nintendo, likewise, has offered no official response to the press concerning the lawsuit. We’ve reached out to both parties to see what we can learn.
Source: LA Times
