Cating Chaos: Hollywood’s Most Difficult Non-Human Actors

Eddie – “Frasier”

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but they don’t always comply on the set of television shows. Take, for example, Eddie, a canine actor who starred in several episodes of the hit television show Frasier. While viewers loved this cute Jack Russell terrier, the star of the show, Kelsey Grammer, did not. In a 1994 interview, he specifically called out the dog (named Moose). He said that the dog was somewhat of a diva, often staying in his trailer well past filming time. According to Grammer, Moose (Eddie) wasn’t very pleasant to be around once filming ended, either.

Various Cats – “Inside Llewelyn Davis”

If dogs are man’s best friend, then cats are like lesser demons that humans managed to convince to live with them. Felines are notoriously averse to direction, much less control of any kind. Director Ethan Coen learned that the hard way while filming his folk music epic, “Inside Llewyn Davis.” He brought in three cats to perform in different scenes. The only problem was that the cats wouldn’t listen to any directions. He claimed they were terrible and couldn’t be trained to follow even the simplest of commands.

As Coen explained in an interview with NPR, “the whole exercise of shooting a cat is pretty nightmarish because they don’t care about anything. They don’t want to do what you want them to do. As the animal trainer said to us, ‘A dog wants to please you. A cat only wants to please itself.’ It was just long, painstaking, frustrating days shooting the cat.”

Phil the Groundhog – “Groundhog Day”

You would think that a creature like Punxsutawney Phil would be used to humans being around. However, that did not seem to be the case for the groundhog actor hired for the now-seminal satire comedy film, “Groundhog Day.” It may be a movie about a man learning how to be a better person, but his first test was forgiving the groundhog. That’s because Bill Murray was bitten by the groundhog actor, Phil, in multiple takes on multiple occasions. The bites Murray received were so bad that he had to be taken to the hospital for tetanus shots. It’s hard to say if the groundhog saw his shadow, but he definitely saw a threat in the form of Bill Murray.

Bart The Bear – “Game of Thrones”

One of the most regularly employed bear actors in Hollywood during the 1980s and 90s was known as Bart the Bear. Once he retired, his namesake was passed on to an unrelated bear called Bart the Bear 2. The latter bear appeared in “Game of Thrones” during its third season. The only problem, however, was that Bart the Bear was a real diva. According to GOT star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Bart had quite an ego. The bear needed massive amounts of applause and treats between takes just to keep up the act. Luckily, he wasn’t aggressive. He only wanted treats and compliments, like any A-lister worth his salt.

Marcel the Monkey – “Friends”

The hit television show “Friends” ran for nearly a dozen seasons. Along the way, the show featured a revolving cast of animal actors. One of the most memorable of these animals, for better or worse, was Ross’ monkey, Marcel. The monkey earned a legion of fans when it appeared on-screen, but became something of an enemy to Ross actor David Schwimmer once the cameras stopped rolling. According to a 1995 interview with Schwimmer, the monkey made him feel nothing but disdain.

According to Schwimmer, the monkey that played Marcel constantly acted up, caused problems, and even tried to bite the actor at one point. In a bit of Hollywood tit-for-tat, the monkey’s trainer, Mike Morris, later clapped back. Morris said in a 2021 interview that not only did the monkey not try to bite the actor, but that Schwimmer was jealous of the attention the monkey recieved. Whatever the truth, it’s hard to refute that the monkey that played Marcel sure made a splash on the set of “Friends.”

The Baboon – “Evan Almighty”

“Evan Almighty,” the follow-up to “Bruce Almighty,” featured a whopping number of animals. Indeed, at least 177 different species of animals were featured in “Evan Almighty,” because it featured a humorous retelling of the Noah’s Ark story. While most of the animals were a breeze to work with, one species seemed to keep causing problems on the set: baboons.

In one scene, Steve Carell’s character Evan gets a lemonade delivered to him by a baboon actor. The drink got spilled in one take, so Carell improvised an angry reaction. The only problem was that the baboon didn’t realize it was an act. It took the angry reaction as a threat and immediately made aggressive moves toward Carell. Apparently, the baboon grew so incensed that trainers warned Carell not to even make eye contact with it, lest it try to attack.

Black Phillip – “The Witch”

The movie “The Witch” delivers a near-constant, low-level dread as you wait for the next nightmare to befall the pioneer family at the center of the story. The villain, a vessel for the devil, is a black goat named “Black Phillip.” It took some on-set insight from the director to inform audiences just how much of a villain the actor who played Black Phillip was, regardless of whether the cameras were rolling or not. According to director Robert Eggers, Black Philip was a devil both inside and out. The goat actor that played the villain refused to do what it was told almost constantly. Worse, it attacked lead actor Ralph Ineson multiple times. One of those attacks was severe enough that Ineson required medical attention.

Though it sounds like the goat actor was a literal demon on set, its behavior also suggests that even some animal actors approach their craft in the method style. Perhaps the goat learned from the legendary acting coach Konstantin Stanislavski, because it never dropped character, even after sending the lead actor to the hospital multiple times.

Cosette – “The Sopranos”

Poor little Cosette… As any ardent fan of “The Sopranos” can tell you, the cute little white dog owned by Adriana in the show meets a terrible fate. However, what most of those fans can’t tell you is that the dog actor that played Cosette was a nightmare to work with. According to the actress who played Adriana, Drea de Matteo, the dog was a real problem on set. Fittingly, the dog was named Little Nicky. The dog actor had a penchant for chomping down on people. Even the dog’s trainer admitted to people on the set that her dog wasn’t very well-behaved.

It’s funny to think that Cosette (who met her end after Adriana’s husband accidentally sat on her), was such a nightmare to work with. One can imagine the actors doing their best to seem upset during filming, when they were actually more than happy to get rid of the dog itself.

Little Man, the Bird – “I, Tonya”

Last but not least on the list of difficult animal actors comes Little Man, the bird. Allison Janney won an Oscar for her impressive portrayal of Tonya Harding’s hardline mother, LaVona Golden. Apparently, the bird that constantly accompanied her on her shoulder was just as bad. During auditions for the part, the bird playing Little Man tried to bite an oxygen tank. It even tried to bite Janney as well. Like the consummate professional she is, Janney thanked Little Man during her Oscar acceptance speech.