Christina Ricci is used to steamy scenes, but nothing could prepare the actress for being groped a chimpanzee on the set of her latest film Speed Racer.

"The chimp jumped over and grabbed my left breast and hung off me," Ricci said.

"It happened in the middle of the first take on the first day of shooting - it was painful."

But in an attempt to "not upset the chimp any further," Ricci said she stood still and meekly cried "help, help, ouch" until she got the attention of the crew, who were facing the other direction.