There’s a good that chance you’ve heard about the dog in Hawkeye, Marvel’s latest superhero series to be gracing the screens of Disney+ subscribers.
First introduced in Matt Fraction and David Aja’s 2012 comic-book series (sharing a name with the show it inspired), Lucky the Pizza Dog won readers’ hearts when he lept into the fray to save the Avenger during a brawl, losing an eye in the process, but forever becoming a star.
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Now, it looks like Lucky’s becoming a star on the small screen, largely thanks to its portrayal by a real-life Golden Retriever called Jolt, who it’s safe to say has stolen the limelight from co-stars Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld.
As you may have discovered in our 10 facts about Golden Retrievers feature, they are especially renowned for their heroic nature, making Jolt, represented by Animal Casting Atlanta, the ideal pick for this role.
It’s fair to say that Jolt has impressed the crew behind Marvel’s latest big-screen adventure, with director Rhys Thomas describing her to Variety as “just a consummate professional. A little easier than some of these folks, to be honest with you.”
Initially, there were plans to make Lucky a CGI dog – due to the complicating factor of the character being blind in one eye – but Jolt impressed in the audition process and was cast, with one eye being CGI’d closed in post production.
“Jolt did an amazing job,” said Thomas to The Hollywood Reporter. “There are very specific things the dog needs to do. She was great. I was definitely dubious, and I had images of a CG dog. Genuinely, I can’t think of a moment we lost time because of Jolt. She was on it.”
It’s fair to say that Jolt has built up a following. As well as the early acclaim she has received, she also has her own Instagram account, in which she celebrated her fourth birthday on November 24 2021 (also the date of Hawkeye’s premiere) with a snazzy Christmas hat.
As the series progresses, we’re sure that Jolt’s stardom will only rise even further.
