Cosmo (dog)

Cosmo
Species	Dog
Breed	Jack Russell Terrier
Sex	Male
Nation from	American
Occupation	Actor
Known for	Hotel for Dogs and Beginners
Owner	Mathilda DeCagny

Cosmo is a canine actor. He is a Jack Russell Terrier that is best known for his roles in the movies Hotel for Dogs and Beginners. He was adopted from a breed rescue society by animal trainer Mathilda DeCagny.

Early life and career

Cosmo was adopted by dog trainer Mathilda DeCagny from a Jack Russell rescue society in 2007. DeCagny had previously owned and trained other Jack Russell dog actors Moose and his son Enzo, who had played Eddie in Frasier.^[1] DeCagny described Cosmo as being skittish and lacking confidence when she first adopted him, but he was very friendly towards people and very playful.^[2] When not appearing in films, Cosmo lives with DeCagny and her family in Venice, California.^[3]

Whilst on the books of Hollywood pet agency Birds and Animals Unlimited,^[4] he made his on screen debut in Hotel for Dogs where he played "Friday".^[1] Of the seventy dogs hired for the film, including two doubles for his role, he was described as producer Ivan Reitman's favourite.^[5] He subsequently appeared in Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

In Beginners, his fur was dyed using non-toxic vegetable colouring in order to make him look more similar to Bowser, a dog owned by writer/director Mike Mills as the story was based on Mills' early life.^[1] Working with Cosmo inspired actor Ewan McGregor to get a dog of his own. "I was looking for a replacement for Cosmo because I couldn’t stand the idea of not having him around," said McGregor,^[1] who adopted a poodle mix called Sid. "I found my dog on the last day of the shoot. He is gorgeous and my little Cosmo replacement."^[1] McGregor stated that he takes Sid for walks with DeCagny and Cosmo in Venice on occasion.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Frame Grab: Who's that adorable dog in 'Beginners'?". Los Angeles Times (Eddy Hartenstein). 6 June 2011. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/06/dog-in-beginners-cosmo-jack-russell-ewan-mcgregor.html. Retrieved 24 September 2011. 
2. ^ "Beginners' Animal Trainer Extraordinaire". The Bark. Summer 2011. http://www.thebark.com/content/beginners-animal-trainer-extraordinaire. Retrieved 24 September 2011. 
3. ^ "Cast and Crew: Cosmo". Focus Features. http://focusfeatures.com/beginners/castncrew?member=cosmo. Retrieved 24 September 2011. 
4. ^ Szabo, Julia (18 January 2009). "Mutts for Film". New York Post (Paul Carlucci). http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/item_kpXk1eZnBa7JQrS0xikO5J. Retrieved 24 September 2011. 
5. ^ Berkowitz, Lana (13 January 2009). "Stars of 'Hotel for Dogs' are ready for their close-ups". Houston Chronicle (Jack Sweeney). http://www.chron.com/life/pets/article/Stars-of-Hotel-for-Dogs-are-ready-for-their-1633155.php. Retrieved 24 September 2011.