Crystal was given to Tom Gunderson, an employee who had only been with the company for a few years and had been primarily working at Universal Studios Florida's Animal Actors stage show.

Because the show was marked by pyrotechnics and noisy, cheering audiences, Gunderson said it was "a boot camp" and "a great way for a monkey to grow up and become habituated for this kind of environment".

Rather than destroy a stuffed animal as any other monkey would do, she preferred to groom herself and work the levers of a child's activity center.

[6] Director Todd Phillips raised concerns after he joked that Crystal had become addicted to cigarettes after learning to smoke them for the film.

[7] Ken Jeong, Crystal's fellow actor in The Hangover Part II, Community, and Zookeeper, praised her, saying, "She's amazing.

[2] She played Dr. Rizzo, a crony of misanthropic veterinarian Dr. George Coleman in Animal Practice, a sitcom that debuted on September 26, 2012.

Gunderson used gestures to coax Crystal to perform the desired action and let her lick yogurt from his fingers upon finishing.

Wallace noted that her favorite treats included "chocolate, Nutella, grapes, pistachios, peanuts, the odd crafts-services banana, a weekly egg for protein, and, off-set, spiders and flies".

[12] In 2022, she appeared in Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans as Bennie, the pet monkey of the titular family.

Other animals live in the home, "including dogs, horses, a cat, and another female capuchin, named Squirt."

Crystal, who sleeps no less than eight hours every day, shares a mattress with Gunderson, his wife, fellow capuchin Squirt, and a chihuahua.