How many dogs were used in ‘Marley and Me’?
According to an article in the Seattle Times, “it took 22 Labs of various sizes and temperaments to film Marley & Me, which was shot in Miami and other parts of southern Florida last winter.”
While sitting on John’s lap at the beach, Marley sees pigeons on the sand and breaks free from John’s hold to chase them. Seagulls also fly around as the dog runs. The birds were filmed in their natural habitat, without the puppy present. Trainers scattered food onto the sand to entice the birds to land. Trainers then “shooed” the birds to get them to fly away. The shots of the puppy were filmed separately.
Whenever people with dogs are shown at a dog beach or in obedience class, these were either real dog owners with their own dogs or well-rehearsed actors. All the dogs were obedience-trained and/or on leashes. They were all introduced to each other before filming to become familiar with each other and then allowed to play freely and do whatever they normally would with their owners. Marley’s action during the obedience class was cued by trainers, except for the humping, which involved the use of deer scent as an enticement. A choke chain was never used — the leash was attached to the collar.
For the montage, in which John lists things that he and the dog have done, all scenes were shot in very few takes. For the shot in which the dog digs near the plant, it was trained to dig, and a hole was pre-dug and partly filled with loose soil. For the shot in which Marley gets a bath, actors used nontoxic dog shampoo and the dog was rinsed and dried thoroughly immediately afterward (it was all filmed in one take). When the dog chews on the leash, the leash was pre-cut and the dog was cued to “get it.” When he walks in the rain, it was warm Miami rain and the dog was accustomed to it. When he jumps and “bites” the mailman’s bag, the dog was cued to get it and shake it. When he “bites” the UPS boxes, the UPS worker was a costumed trainer who cued the dog to bite certain easy-to-grip spots on the boxes. When he destroyed the sand castles or bit the chair, he was cued to “dig” and to “get it.” The baseball field scene was filmed during an actual baseball game. The dog was cued to run the stairs, which were not steep. Then, between innings, the actor was allowed to throw a ball to the dog, and the dog was cued to fetch it. The dog was unfazed by the noise and the crowd.
The scene with the sheep surrounding the car in Ireland was filmed on location with a real sheep herder.
Streets were closed off to traffic and all grounds and fences were inspected for safety. A stuffed prop dog was used during most of the rehearsals.
What kind of dog is Marley?
In Marley & Me the dog is often portrayed as the worlds worst dog. The canine actors are played by adorable yellow labs and we all know that Labradors are also a breed that can easily be trained. Were these actors trained to be bad dogs?
Around half the 22 Marley dogs were puppies and a few were stunt dogs. But clearly Clyde was the star. Yet all Clyde had to do was act like a dog!
Marley & Me (5/5) Movie CLIP – You’re a Great Dog, Marley (2008) HD
Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, who play a married couple in “Marley and Me,” enjoy the company of their lovable yellow Labrador retriever co-stars on the set.
LOS ANGELES — The Four Seasons Hotel has always been a safe haven for celebrities. Thats because a 10-foot brick wall creates a barrier between the hotel entrance and the street. The driveway just inside the wall is a no-paparazzi zone.
That has not stopped a handful of enterprising photographers on this December Saturday morning. They have set up several 10-foot ladders on the sidewalk. A photographer is perched on each. Their prey: Jennifer Aniston.
Aniston is always of interest to the entertainment media. But this paparazzi flurry is because of all of the rumors about the former “Friends” star. The buzz is that she is pregnant. The tabloid gossip is that singer John Mayer, whom Aniston has been linked romantically, would be the chief suspect as the father if the rumors are true.
The reason Aniston is at the hotel is to talk about her new Christmas Day release, “Marley & Me.” She and Owen Wilson play a married couple who find their lives dramatically changed by a not-so-obedient yellow Labrador retriever. The family film is based on the best-selling book of the same name.
In recent weeks, Aniston has talked about almost every aspect of her life on tabloid TV shows such as “Extra.” She also has been interviewed in editions of the magazines Entertainment Weekly and Vogue in which she talked about not being pregnant, her ex-husband Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie and being a celebrity. She is even posing in just a necktie on the cover of GQ magazine.
Despite all that openness, publicists for “Marley & Me” issue a warning to those handful of journalists gathered to interview her and Wilson not to ask any personal questions. This is to be an interview about the movie.
Aniston arrives dressed in a dark gray blouse and a black, floor-length skirt. There are no visible signs the rumors are true. If she is pregnant, then the baby must have been conceived very recently.
She stops to greet her other co-star: the dog. She pets the yellow Labrador seated in the corner. The dog is one of 22 that were used in the making of the movie. It took so many canine co-stars because the film covers 14 years of the dogs life.
The movie isnt just a dogs story. Its also the tale of the couples relationship that lasts through all those years. That is why Aniston agreed to do the movie.
“Its a true story. Its a simple story. I think people go to the movies, and they escape with these big crazy plot lines. Here is a movie where people are actually going like thats me or I did that, I walked through that. Or my dog. Even if you dont have a dog or youve been in a relationship — and it doesnt even have to be a married relationship — just partnered life, you know,” Aniston says.
“The reason I wanted to be in this movie was it wasnt the sort of girl trying to get the guy. Or the guy trying to get the girl. Or the chase and then you end the movie where they ride off into the sunset.”
Has Aniston opened the door to personal questions with her answer? Shes the one who mentions marriage, relationships and partners. It still might be too early. It is better to concentrate on the movie — for now.
Aniston felt prepared to deal with all of the canine complications because she has a corgi-terrier mix named Norman.
“I think it helped because I wasnt afraid of dogs,” Aniston says. She pauses and looks at the Labrador. The dog has been quietly sitting through the interview but begins to wag his tail when he sees Aniston looking at him.
“I would say the younger Marleys were a little bit more challenging for the trainers. We had a ball. We never had a hard time,” the actress adds.
She also didnt have any problems with her character. She credits the book with providing every detail she needed to play a pet owner, wife and eventually mother of three children.
OK. Thats a clear opening. She has mentioned motherhood. So the natural question is whether she felt comfortable playing a mom or would have preferred to have waited until she had her own life experience as a mother before taking on such a role.
Shes not going to be tripped up because she has lived her life in a publicity bubble since becoming a sensation on “Friends.”
Every aspect of her life — whether true or not — has been scrutinized and dissected by the media.
Aniston knows all of the attention is part of the job. She must deal with it just to do the work she has always wanted to do.
“Ive never sat there and plotted out how I was going to become successful or famous. I just really wanted to work, and I wanted to do good work ever since I was at a high school of performing arts and my Russian acting coach told me I was a disgrace to the Moscow acting theater. I was determined to prove him wrong and do good work,” Aniston says.
After a pregnant pause, she adds, “I think I never had my eye on a prize. I just really wanted to enjoy the passage of time.
“Before Friends and the success of that, I had a graveyard of sitcoms. I was happy to get a job every year whether or not it went on or not.”
The same cant be said for the photographers outside. They all have their eye on the prize: a photo of Aniston.