Simu Liu and Chopa.Photo:Courtesy of Simu Liu
Courtesy of Simu Liu
Simu Liu’s adorable rescue pup is ready for her star turn.
Over the last few weeks, the actor’s dog, Chopa, has been accompanying dad to press events for his latest filmArthur the King(in theaters Friday), which wasfilmed three years agoin the Dominican Republic.
“She was one of the background dogs on this movie. It was very much life imitating art imitating life,” Liu, 34, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “The movie wanted to depict stray dogs in this area in the Dominican, and they couldn’t use real stray dogs for obvious reasons. So we used dogs out of a shelter in Santo Domingo.”
All of the dogs featured in the film were adoptable, and Liu — who hadn’t expected to head back home with a new pet — asked to foster Chopa.
“After a couple days, I was like ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to be separated from her ever again,” he adds.
Simu Liu and Ukai on set of ‘Arthur the King’.Carlos Rodriguez/Courtesy of Lionsgate
Carlos Rodriguez/Courtesy of Lionsgate
“I was going through that pretty much as we were shooting those scenes. We were trying to get all the paperwork through, and I feel like I’m doing the same forms over and over again. It was just a very, very difficult and arduous process,” says Liu. “She missed her connecting flight, and I found out in the air in between my flight from Miami to L.A. that she had not gotten on the plane.”
Simu Liu and Chopa.Courtesy of Simu Liu
On set, “she’s a great trailer dog, and she loves people,” says Liu, who also moved into a new house a couple years ago. “So much of the home is really designated for Chopa. She probably uses more of the furniture than I do, and she’s a big homebody. She’s definitely living a princess life.”
So will she be sharing the screen with Liu any time soon?
“Her recall is amazing. I haven’t been able to get her any representation, which I think is ridiculous,” jokes Liu. “We haven’t gotten any calls yet, but we’d be willing to entertain the idea.”
Chopa’s also earned a decent following on social media, where she’s often seen snuggling up to Liu andhis girlfriend Allison Hsu.
Adds the star: “If the acting thing doesn’t work out, maybe she’s got a nice future as a dog model. I think she’s the prettiest dog on Earth. That’s my very biased opinion, I understand.”
source: people.com
