Jellybean the dog with his stuffed body double on the set of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines.Photo:Melissa Millett
Melissa Millett
The biggest scene-stealer in the new moviePet Sematary: Bloodlinesisn’tDavid Duchovny,Pam Grier, orHenry Thomas. It’s Jellybean, a 7-year-old Red Heeler who “was born to play” the role of an unearthed zombie canine, says his owner and trainerMelissa Millett.
And the fact that he’s completely deaf is part of the reason why.
“In a creepy movie, we’re looking for long stares and quiet and focus, and that’s things that are easier to get with a deaf dog,” says Millett, who trained Jellybean via hand signals to drop his chin and keep his movements eerily slow while filmingBloodlines,streaming on Paramount+ Oct. 6. The movie a prequel to 2019’sPet Semataryadaptationof the classic Stephen King novel.
Bloodlinesdirector and cowriterLindsey Anderson Beersays Jellybean had an “amazing slow walk that I thought was just so perfect for a zombie dog.”
She also “loved his look,” which — thanks to makeup, dirt, and “Hollywood magic” — made the dog fit right into a creepy story about humans and animals coming back from the dead.
“The first time that Jellybean stepped out of the trailer with his hair all mucked up and standing on end and just didn’t even look like himself, it was so delightful,” Beer tells PEOPLE.
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“I liked that he was deaf and being able to show that differently-abled animals can also act and can serve a purpose,” she tells PEOPLE.
Before finding Millett and fame, Jellybean was born to a breeder, who elected to drive the deaf puppy 10 hours from his birthplace in Reno to California’sDeaf Dog Rescue of America. Millett considers Jellybean lucky to have a breeder who surrendered the dog instead of abandoning the pup or euthanizing him. Millett adopted Jellybean from the rescue and began training him for on-camera work.
Jellybean the canine actor.Sherry Lemcke
Sherry Lemcke
“Just because there’s one thing that he can’t do doesn’t mean there’s a million things that he can’t do,” adds Millett, who has guided Jellybean totwo Guinness World Recordsfor canine basketball tricks.
Beer calls the pup “the sweetest dog and really easy to work with.” But then, when the cameras are rolling, “he puts on that acting face and goes into a different mode.” (Millett admits Jellybean “has been typecast as a villain.” When he smiles, she says, “his facial expression can look like the Joker.”)
Jellybean the canine actor in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines.Philippe Bosse/Paramount
Philippe Bosse/Paramount
Both Millett and Beer hope that Jellybean’s star-making turn in a major movie can make inroads for other actors with disabilities, both canine and human.
“We need to always widen our nets in terms of thinking about what diverse casting means, and that extends to animals,” says Beer.
“And to any other directors out there, if you’re looking for a brilliant dog actor, I would highly recommend Jellybean.”
source: people.com
