WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW 70 degrees, the Strays movie crew had to bring in a heating pad because Benny, the Boston terrier that plays Bug, didn't like his paws on wet grass, Josh Greenbaum, the film's director, said.
"But his performance is great. So, whatever he needs for his process," Greenbaum told Total Film.
It's no surprise that the comedy Strays is taking home more than one PAWSCARS Award. Thirty years after Homeward Bound, the R-rated film relies nearly entirely on dog actors. Three of the four main characters had never acted in a film before and Benny could not be further from his character's tough, street dog persona.
Benny's performance is rivaled by his new friend Reggie, played by a Border terrier named Sophie.
The lead of the film, she used head tilts and varying walking paces to convey the emotion of a dog whose naïveté gives way to a newfound independence. In one scene, Reggie crawls under a fence while the other dogs hold it open for him and, in another, Bug pulls off Reggie's bandana. It's a scene that showcases the moment the dogs decide to become a pack with one mission-and one that took several combinations of behaviors (and trainers) to get right.
Sophie didn't always have a pack, though. She was the only dog in her litter and, being a COVID puppy, didn't socialize with other dogs until she was on the film set, which makes her performance even more impressive. "She was like, 'I'm made to do this," Mathilde de Cagny, a long-time trainer who worked on Strays, told Newsweek.
A successful performance requires the animal to not only perform the behavior but be engaging.
The dog needs to convey the scene's emotion, such as wagging their tail to signal happiness, according to trainer Bill Berloni, who has worked on shows including And Just Like That. The goal is to make the trainer, who's working with hand and noise signals, invisible to the audience.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Zachary Quinto
ZACHARY QUINTO HAS PLAYED DOCTORS BEFORE, BUT HE'S \"NEVER PLAYED a doctor like\" the one he plays on NBC's Brilliant Minds (September 23).
Adam Brody
NETFLIX KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT MILLENNIALS want, and it's to see Adam Brody and Kristen Bell fall in love.
Partners in Crime
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt shares his delight at teaming up with Shailene Woodley again in new Amazon Prime movie Killer Heat
HOW TO FIND A WORKPLACE THAT LOVES YOU BACK
Insights from America's Top Most Loved Workplaces
MOST LOVED WORKPLACES 2024
AT A TIME WHEN WORKERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO redefine what they expect from their jobs, the companies on Newsweek's annual list of the Most Loved Workplaces in America are setting the standard for what a fulfilling workplace looks like.
Q&A LEE YARON
With 10/7, the professional became profoundly personal.
SDEROT INTERSECTION
How Jewish and Arab strangers united to rescue two little girls amidst Hamas' October 7 attack
No End in Sight
AS TENSIONS CONTINUE TO FLARE AT ISRAEL'S BORDERS, NEWSWEEK DISCOVERS HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED IN THE REGION A YEAR ON FROM THE OCTOBER 7 HAMAS ATTACKS
Thai Scammers Set Sights on US
Newsweek looks inside the Southeast Asian country's $2 billion cybercrime industry and how American citizens are now falling prey to sophisticated schemes run overseas
PARTING SHOT: Sarah Paulson
\"CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE AIR WAS JUST FILLED WITH DUST PARTICLES and you literally could not breathe?\" That's what Sarah Paulson is tackling in her new film Hold Your Breath (October 3).