During a recent ComicBook.com chat, which she joined with her co-star Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard compared working with Chip the Cat and the ‘Star Wars’ universe’s Grogu, aka Baby Yoda.
In the upcoming film ‘Argylle,’ Howard played Elly Conway alongside a cat named Chip, aka Alfie. Years before that, she directed a few episodes of ‘The Mandalorian,’ which became popular on social media with the appearance of Grogu. revealing what the two mascots have in common, the actress shared:
“Oh my God. Wonderful. Love them both so much. I mean, I go crazy for Gorgu, of course. And I go crazy for Chip. I mean, it’s the innocence, you know, of animals and creatures, and it just connects you to kind of the delight that you feel when you’re a kid yourself.”
When Cranston asked:
“Now we had a real Chip, and then there was a stuffed animal chip. Was there a real Grogu and a stuffed animal Grogu when you were doing it?”
She explained:
“Well, we didn’t have a stuffy. We just had a baby, and it was because he’s an animatronic … and he felt very, very, very real, and so we just think he’s real.”
The Original Alfie Was Fired
Using a real cat caused an unusual situation during the filming of ‘Argylle.’ Director Matthew Vaughn shared at a New York Comic Con panel last year that they had to replace the original Alfie actor on the first day of filming. He recalled firing the animal by saying:
“We had a cat on the first day of filming, and I fired the cat because he was very expensive and a pain in the a**. Then I went home and went into my daughter’s bedroom and said, ‘I’m gonna borrow your cat.’ I didn’t quite think it through that I’d have to drive to work with the cat every day.”
About working with a cat, the director added:
“And on this film, I’m now a director and a cat handler, and I don’t like cats to be very clear, I’m a dog person, but I’m now a cat person as well, so. They say don’t work with kids, don’t work with animals, if they’re your own kid or animal, might be the way to do it.”
‘Argylle,’ set for release on February 2, focuses on Elly Conway and Alfie’s adventures following their encounter with an undercover spy named Aidan. In addition to Howard, Cranston, and Chip, the film features a notable cast, including Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Dua Lipa, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Cena.
