The chemistry between leading actors is a vital part of the movie-making process, but for Hollywood actress Ana de Armas the co-star of her new film ‘Blonde’ wasn’t as scary as he could have been. De Armas, who plays Marilyn Monroe in the new Netflix biopic, was working with her own dog Elvis.
The 13-year-old Maltese was cast as Mafia, a dog given to Monroe by her great friend Frank Sinatra. Monroe was a great dog lover, and had many dogs throughout her life of which Mafia was the last.
The dog, known as Maf, was also a white Maltese terrier and once Andrew Dominik, the director of ‘Blonde’, had cast De Armas in the main role he realized that Elvis was the spitting image of Maf.
He pushed for the pooch to be added to the cast list. It was a cinch for Elvis, who’s used to being around movie sets with his celebrity owner, to move in front of the cameras for a change.
The confident canine only appears in two scenes, one of which ended up getting cut. His remaining scene, though, could be pivotal to the plot.
Speaking on Late Night with Seth Myers, De Armas said :"When I watch it, I don't know how to feel because of course, it's a very serious, important scene in the film. And then at the same time, I'm just looking at him and I'm melting.”
De Armas’ dogs have always been a huge part of her life, and she admitted to Grazia magazine that she can’t start her day without coffee, a walk with the pups and a relaxing yoga session.
As well as having a celebrity owner, Elvis is a social media star in his own right - his 13th birthday post alone on Instagram attracted over half a million likes.
As a breed, Maltese terriers are affectionate, intelligent, responsive and trusting – characteristics that Elvis obviously has in spades.
In addition to Elvis, who became a familiar sight on Venice Beach when the star lived in Los Angeles, De Armas also adopted another puppy named Salsa in July 2020.
A Havanese, the national dog of her native Cuba, the fluffy pup is black and white and has already won fans over with his cute antics. We hope we can expect to see Salsa in a starring role soon – or perhaps teaming up with Elvis in their own series!
‘Blonde’ is out now on Netflix, rated NC-17.
