Stephen Huszar had his hands full in the furry friend department while working on Hallmark’s Everything Puppies, but he’s not complaining.
“Acting with furries is always a treat. I’ve got three myself,” Huszar, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, May 17, while promoting the new Hallmark Channel film. “I got a couple cats and a dog, so it’s always nice to be able to share the screen with these guys.”
Huszar, who plays pet store general manager Alex in the movie, revealed that the golden retrievers he acted alongside were “so present” and “lots of fun.”
Although shooting scenes with animals can be tough, the actor told Us that this particular group of dogs were “well trained.”
They’re so present. They’re lots of fun, you know? Anytime I can be in a movie with some animals, I am in. So that was, that was basically it.
“My dog wasn’t a puppy. He was so, so calm. I was washing him, went for a run with him and stuff, and he was very, very patient,” Huszar recalled, referring to his character’s pooch named Mosey. “They were, they were great on set.”
He joked, “They were much more trained than I was when I started acting. So good on them.”
Huszar noted that the puppies, which were featured in several scenes, were even more adorable to see daily.
“They’re cute little things,” he said. “You know how you have the little baby smell. It’s the same sort of thing when you’re dealing with these really young dogs. They’re so sweet.”
Huszar’s costars weren’t all furry in nature. The Hallmark star also worked closely with Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, who plays dog treat creator Scarlett. In the movie, Scarlett invents a tasty and healthy treat for pups and with the help of Alex, she tries to get them into a massive pet store chain.
“She’s great, super professional, [a] really great actress,” Huszar gushed to Us about his scene partner.
He shared that the actors met for the first time shooting Everything Puppies and only did rehearsals with their respective dogs.
“We did a little bit of training for rock climbing ’cause that was a bit of a concern as well, to make sure we’re comfortable. Just a few days,” Huszar added of their shooting schedule. “It seemed to roll really well. Sometimes it just works and absolutely this is one of them.”
When it comes to what Huszar wants viewers to take away from the movie, he told Us it’s all about Scarlett’s journey.
“I just support her in her dreams. It’s really about if you have a great idea, believe in it. Keep going because as long as you believe in it, it will become, will become real,” he teased. “As long as you truly believe in [it], other people will sort of jump on that bandwagon with you and support you. I think that’s really the underlying message.”
Everything Puppies premieres on Hallmark Channel Saturday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET.
