8 Actors Whose Real Pets Appeared in Movies and TV Shows

Katie MatherThu, September 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

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Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and his dog in ‘A Star is Born’Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Some actors have decided that their furry friends deserve moments in the spotlight, too.

While there are many tales of actors adopting their animal costars after a great filming experience, there are also times when celebrities have brought their real-life pets to set — not just for a visit, but to appear alongside them.

After Bradley Cooper’s dog Charlie had a role in A Star is Born, the actor joked to PEOPLE in September 2018 that his dog has changed since his big break.

“[Charlie] has an agent,” Cooper joked. “I don’t talk to him much anymore. He doesn’t return my calls. He always walks away from me unless I have food.”

From Cooper’s dog Charlie to Sylvester Stallone’s bullmastiff Butkis, here are eight stars whose real pets appeared in movies and TV shows.

01 of 08

Bradley Cooper’s dog Charlie in A Star is Born

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and his dog in ‘A Star is Born’Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

In addition to playing the starring role of Jackson Maine in A Star Is Born alongside Lady Gaga, Cooper also directed the film and cast his own rescued dog, Charlie, to play his character’s dog of the same name.

“There was no nepotism — I wanted this relationship with the dog,” Cooper told PEOPLE in September 2018. “[Jackson and Ally] don’t have a child together but they have a dog together, and I wanted it to be part of their story. I love dogs.”

The actor was honored by PETA with its Compassion in Film Award for casting his own pet, rather than hiring one from one of Hollywood’s animal exhibitors.

02 of 08

Ana de Armas’ dog Elvis in Blonde

Ana de Armas and her dog ElvisCredit: ana_d_armas/Instagram

When Ana de Armas played Marilyn Monroe in the 2022 Netflix movie Blonde, one of her two dogs costarred with her.

Elvis, a Maltese she adopted in 2020, played Monroe’s dog, Mafia.

While promoting the movie during a September 2022 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, de Armas discussed her dog being cast by director Andrew Dominik.

“Andrew, as the great visionary that he is, he saw I look like Marilyn Monroe. Obviously, he saw that Elvis was perfect for Mafia,” the actress told Seth Meyers.

03 of 08

Jennifer Aniston’s Welsh corgi-terrier mix in Marly & Me

Jennifer Aniston; Jennifer Aniston’s dog Norman.Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock; WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy

According to Modern Dog Magazine, 22 different labrador retrievers were cast to play Marley in the 2008 film, Marley & Me, which starred Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. But in the background of one beach scene, Aniston’s real-life Welsh corgi-terrier mix, Norman, made a small cameo.

Norman, who died in 2011, was seemingly comfortable on film sets, especially since Aniston adopted him after he was on an episode of Friends.

“Norman was my first [dog]. And it was just a fluke. He was in a scene with Joey and Chandler on Friends when they left baby Ben on the bus,” Aniston told PEOPLE in September 2024. “They were running through the streets and ran into a dog walker that had all these dogs. Norman was one of them, and I just fell in love.”

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04 of 08

Sylvester Stallone’s dog Butkus in Rocky

Sylvester Stallone and his dog ButkusCredit: officialslystallone/Instagram

Before Rocky, Stallone had to sell his bullmastiff named Butkus for $40 so he could pay for food, Stallone wrote on Instagram in March 2017.

“[Like] a modern day miracle, the screenplay for Rocky sold, and I could buy and buy him back, but the new owner knew I was desperate, and charged me $15,000,” Stallone wrote of his late dog. “He was worth every penny!”

Stallone then cast Butkus in Rocky and Rocky II to play his character Rocky Balboa’s dog.

05 of 08

Justin Theroux’s pitbull in Lady and the Tramp

Justin Theroux attends HBO Max’s 2025 Post-Emmy Reception in West Hollywood, Calif.; Justin Theroux’s dog KumaCredit: Emma McIntyre/Getty; Justin Theroux/Instagram

Justin Theroux may have voiced Tramp in the 2019 live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp, but his pitbull Kuma made an actual cameo in the movie. Kuma can be spotted in the background of one scene at a dog pound.

Theroux shared a photo with KUMA from set on Instagram in August 2019, writing that Disney wanted to cast shelter animals in the movie “including, yours truly… KUMA who was given a really huge starring role (okay, it was teensy but don’t tell her).”

06 of 08

Anne Hathaway’s cat in The Princess Diaries

Anne Hathaway and Fat Louie in ‘The Princess Diaries’Credit: Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

The Princess Diaries was Anne Hathaway’s breakout role, and she somehow managed to bring her cat along for the ride.

Her character Mia Thermopolis has a pet cat named Fat Louie, which was played by four different cats — including Hathaway’s, per IMDb.

07 of 08

Tim Burton’s Chihuahua Poppy in Mars Attacks!

Tim Burtons and his chihuahua Poppy; Poppy and Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Mars Attacks!’Credit: Barry King/WireImage;Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty

Director Tim Burton features a lot of dog characters in his movies, and in some of them, they’re played by his actual pets.

His late Chihuahua named Poppy starred in multiple scenes with Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in his 1996 movie Mars Attacks!

“He loves dogs. Pepper was his childhood dog,” Helena Bonham Carter, whom Burton dated for over a decade, said in Tara Wood’s untitled documentary about the director. “He’s always felt at ease with dogs. He said very early on in our relationship that he was a dog, so maybe that’s where he came from — dog land.”

08 of 08

Amber Marshall’s animal family in Heartland

Amber Marshall on a horse in ‘Heartland’Credit: Collection Christophel / Alamy

Canadian actress Amber Marshall pretty much knows everyone on set of her hit CBC series Heartland.

Marshall plays ranch owner Amy Fleming, and Marshall’s horse, Talon, plays the character of Monty. Meanwhile, Marshall’s dog Remi plays Georgie’s (Alisha Newton) dog, and her cats Gilman and Mouzer also make on-screen appearances.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”