Celebrity dogs.
They're known for stealing scenes from their less exciting — and, let's face it, less
adorable — human colleagues with a simple waggle of their tails or flutter of their
big eyes.
But are movie dogs complete divas on set?
Does newfound fame send them down a shame-spiral of depression and hard doggie drugs just like
their child star counterparts?
Or do they retreat from the spotlight, eager to live a normal life once the initial rush
of exposure has passed?
Let's find out.
Forrest - Hachi: A Dog's Tale
According to the blog The Daily Onigiri, Hachiko is an Akita who's the most famous dog in Japan.
He waited for his owner in the same spot every day at Shibuya Station, and continued to do
so for ten years following his death, leading a statue to be built there in his honor.
As producer Vicki Shigekuni Wong explains in her blog, she named her own Shiba after
the famous dog after visiting the statue.
His death in 2004 inspired the making of Hachi: A Dog's Tale.
Several dogs were required to portray Hachiko.
Although Akita dogs were chosen to stay true to Hahicko's story, their growth spurts meant
that mostly smaller Shibas were utilized for the shoot.
Wong notes that even the animal trainers themselves had never worked with this breed before, as
the dogs are very "independent-thinking," and star Richard Gere was reportedly anxious
about meeting his canine co-stars.
According to Wong’s blog, after the movie wrapped, Forrest — one of the dog actors
— was gifted to a man named Joe, who had recently lost his own Akita.
Breeder Kathy Coffman explains,
"Joe was Akita-less and the first day he and his family met Forrest — we knew it was
a perfect match."
Angel - Beverly Hills Chihuahua
There's something strangely charming about Beverly Hills Chihuahua, the 2008 Disney family
comedy about a pampered pooch who gets dog-napped.
We’re happy to report that the most pampered Chihuahua in Hollywood is still alive and
kicking, even taking part in the two sequels.
In an interview on the "Oh, Behave" show on Pet Life Radio, trainer Mike Alexander explained
how they had about 50 Chihuahuas on set at any one time.
But their little angel was, of course, Angel, who plays Chloe, the main character.
Disney had a very specific idea of what they wanted her to be, and they found it in Angel.
Alexander described her as,
"A big dog in a little dog's body.”
Alexander later revealed that he adopted her after the shoot.
If that's not a seal of approval for a dog actor, then what is?
Cosmo - Beginners
Mike Mills' critically celebrated and hugely personal 2010 movie Beginners is regularly
featured on "Best Of" lists of go-to LGBTQ movies.
Dog-star Arthur, portrayed by a pooch named Cosmo, is so integral to the plot, he even
features prominently on the film's poster.
In order to capture that realistic pet-owner relationship, trainer Mathilde De Cagny told
the New York Times that she slathered bacon grease on star Christopher Plummer's face,
then encouraged an eager Cosmo to lick it off.
Cosmo was also reportedly painted with brown spots, so he'd more closely resemble Mills'
real-life Jack Russell terrier.
Following the shoot, star Ewan McGregor was so enamored with his co-star that he wanted
to take the little guy home himself.
McGregor explained that, unfortunately, his wife is allergic to dogs and cats so Cosmo
was returned to his rightful owner, De Cagny.
Carlos - Max
The movie Max is kind of like a doggie version of American Sniper.
It's described by Yahoo!
Movies as,
"A coming-of-age tale about a young boy who inherits a military dog after his brother
dies on the front-lines in Afghanistan."
The lead actor was a Belgian Shepherd named Carlos, who wasn't even two years old at the
time of filming.
According to trainer Mark Forbes, none of the canine actors had any experience prior
to the shoot and were located following a nationwide search.
Director Boaz Yakin told USA Today that Carlos had "pure star quality" but
"The only problem was that Carlos was very temperamental."
Although his IMDb, lists just that one credit at the time of this video, the dog had such
personality that the filmmakers ended up basing a lot of Max's character on him.
Now that's real star power.
Quince - Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
The breakout star of the comedy hit Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy wasn't Will Ferrell
as much as it was his beloved pet, Baxter.
The legendary canine who was unfairly punted by Jack Black spoke fluent Spanish, and ate
a whole wheel of cheese.
Sadly, the little fella passed away before he could steal the show in the sequel, leading
a pooch named Quince to take the stage in his place.
In an interview with The Atlantic, trainer Raymond Beal revealed how Quince was plucked
from relative obscurity after being rescued from a supermarket parking lot.
But the canine newcomer took to his new role with grace, working the junket circuit and
even barking in response to journalists' questions.
Baxter is such a pivotal character that director Adam McKay even floated the idea of creating
a doggie-focused PG spin-off.
Wow.
From supermarket to starring role.
Leo - Underdog
Lemon beagle Leo, who portrayed classic character Underdog in 2007, is arguably the most famous
dog on this list.
Or, at the very least, he's had the most successful show-business career.
Trainer Boone Narr was reportedly unsure about Leo at first, telling Visual Hollywood,
"He was overweight and as round as he was long, and he was completely out of-control."
However, thanks to his great personality and a strict dog boot camp, Leo was quickly whipped
into shape in time for shooting.
The lemon beagle cutie has since gone on to significant doggie fame, including starring
in a Trifexis commercial.
Not bad for a previously plump little fellow.
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