For over 3 decades Boone’s Animals for Hollywood, Inc has been making us smile with their animal actors in movies, TV shows and commercials. They have worked with many actors such as  Johnny Depp, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, the True Blood cast, Madonna and Vin Diesel, to name a few.

Boone’s Animals for Hollywood, Inc. is internationally known. They have filmed all over the United States with their animals and have worked in: Canada, Czech Republic, Australia, Mexico, South Africa, India, New Zealand, Israel, New Guinea, Germany, Korea, Italy, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Bahamas, and Brazil.

They have  a long list of credits, beautiful animals and fun loving trainers. Below, is a tiny peek into Boone Narr’s animal training life and his love for animals. He and his staff do have really cool jobs, don’t they?

TB-N: From the monkey and dog in Pirates of the Caribbean, to the rats in Willard, for three decades you have worked with celebrity animals familiar to us all. Can you tell us how you originally got into this profession?

I went to work cleaning and caring for animals at a company that trained animals, then I became interested in training them. Years later I opened my own company. That’s how a summer job can become a lifelong passion.

TB-N: Which species would you say is the hardest to train, the easiest to train, and what was the most difficult animal you’ve ever trained?

The hardest animal to train is humans.  Animals never cease to amaze you and the one you are working with, if you have a good relationship, is the easiest to train at the time. This is always the hardest question to answer. I have really enjoyed all the animals I’ve trained.

TB-N: Have you ever had an animal that just didn’t work out for you or any other trainer?

We are interested in an animal having a good time doing their job and we prepare them before they go to camera. There have been some animals just not cut out for this work and we have found them loving homes.

TB-N: Are there any species that you’ve worked with in the past but won’t again?

Working with exotics requires a younger man. I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t work with them again but I wouldn’t seek out the work.

TB-N: What happens to the animals when they’re retired or just don’t work out as actors?

We place them in homes with people who can appreciate what great animals they are. Animals that are retired usually live with our trainers or their immediate families.

TB-N: How do you acquire your animals?

First place we look is shelters and rescues. We are happy to work with them. We usually seek the animals that wouldn’t be great for homes – like the diggers, hyper, attention seeking, escape artists, etc. because they make the best movie animals. They need a job and we give it them.

TB-N: Do animals get camera shy – seriously, do they?

There are some animals that don’t like all the activity that comes with a set or having equipment right in their face, but we find that out during prep so they don’t wind up on sets.

TB-N: How do you get an animal actor to relate to someone they have never seen before?

There is always time before filming for actors to spend time with the animals. We want them to spend time together before they work on camera. But before that the animals get trained to do behaviors that look like they “belong” to the actor.

TB-N: We’re sure you get asked this all the time, but have you ever been attacked by one of your students?

We have all had moments where tensions run high, but I’ve never been “attacked.”

TB-N: Are any of the animals on True Blood yours?

Yes. Dean the dog and Tina the cat are mine. We’ve had background animals that were ours or friends/co-workers. We’ve had something to with all the animals on the show.

TB-N: How many animals are currently living at your home?

I have animal housing on my property so I “live” with almost 100 animals.

TB-N: How many trainers have worked on True Blood and who are they? Which animals are they assigned to?

There have been a number of trainers that have worked on the show but the trainers that have done multiple episodes are Mark Harden, Ursula Brauner, David Allsberry, Tracy Kelly and Shawn Weber.  They are not assigned to single animals, we are a family and everyone works with everyone.

TB-N: That bull in the season two finale was spectacular. What kind of bull is that; where did you find him?

That was a Brahma Bull from Southern California.

TB-N: The pig was one of our favorite characters this season. We’ve heard that pigs are smarter than dogs. Is this fact or fiction?

Depends on whether you are talking to the pig trainer or the dog trainer. There are smart pigs and dumb dogs and both are motivated by love and food.

TB-N: Are there any moments with the True Blood cast interacting with the animals that you can share with us?

Everyone at True Blood has been great with the animals and we have had fun. What has been great with the actors is that they have really enjoyed the animals. Sam (“Sam Merlotte”) and Todd (“Terry Bellefleur”) really did spend time playing catch with Duffy and Dusty (“Dean the dog”) before shooting the scene before the wedding.  And Anna (“Sookie Stackhouse”) loved snuggling up with the cat and he wasn’t complaining. I am excited about Dean having more work next season along with some other animals that will be fun.

TB-N Thank you for sharing these beautiful animals with us Boone! We encourage all of our readers to check out Boone’s web-site.

Posted in Exclusive Interviews