The Big Picture

Puppy Love was an unexpectedly raunchy and edgy rom-com with dogs, which sets it apart from other movies in the genre. Lucy Hale found her character relatable because she was written as a professional with personal life struggles, rather than the typical hot mess role. The film had a lot of physical comedy, including a memorable scene with Grant Gustin naked, and the comedy was often improvised on set.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Puppy Love.]Inspired by BuzzFeed’s viral digital series Puppyhood, the Amazon Freevee original film Puppy Love sees socially anxious Max (Grant Gustin) put himself out there on a first date with the far more adventurous Nicole (Lucy Hale), with disastrous results that derail any thoughts that they could be a good match for each other. When they realize that even though their meet-up was not so successful, their dogs were far luckier, and having new puppies on the way forces them to spend more time together and see they might not be as mismatched as they first thought.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Hale talked about what made this a dream job, what surprised her about the script, finding the physical comedy, getting to know her canine co-stars, working with a naked Gustin, which scene turned out to be one of the trickiest to shoot, shooting some of the film’s funnier moments, and never having a strategic plan for her career.

This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Collider: This must have been so much fun to do.

LUCY HALE: Oh, my God, you have no idea. It was a dream job. Top three job for me. Just so fun.

Image via Amazon Freevee

One of the things that I loved about this, aside from there just being ridiculously cute dogs, is how imperfect both of these characters are, which is not something we get all the time from a movie like this. A lot of times, it’s perfect characters and perfect dialogue. When you read this, what most stood out to you? Was that always in the script? Was that something that attracted you to it?

HALE: I really love that you said that because that was something that appealed to me too. First of all, I was thinking, “This is way raunchier and edgier than I expected this script to be.” You think about a dog movie and you think it will be very tied with the bow, sweet, avoiding certain words, and just very in a box. But I thought, “Oh, this is an edgy rom-com with dogs.” I really liked the way my character was written. Typically, you might see the girl in a role like Max, and Max being the hot mess type of role. I really liked that she was very much a professional and had certain things going on in her life, but personally, she was just a disaster. I found that really relatable. I’ve definitely been at that point in my life. As far as the script, it was always there, but something really special happened, after I was cast and Grant [Gustin] was cast. We had time to play and tweak things, and made it feel more real. We definitely edged it up, as we were filming, because we found the tone as we got started. It was just the easiest yes for me. It was a rom-com with dogs.

There’s a lot of comedy in it, and a lot of physical comedy. How much of that evolves out of just being there, on the day?

HALE: A lot of the physical stuff with Grant, like on the first date, was all there. The structure of the script was all there. We more so had room, once we got really great improv actors, like Michael Hitchcock and Jane Seymour, to play with the dialogue. What was great was that a lot of the scenes were always there, and luckily it worked because sometimes with these things, you’re like, “It’s funny on paper, but will it translate?” So, it was always there, from the draft I first read.

These dogs are a big part of the film. They’re not just occasionally there, in the background. They’re real co-stars. Did you get to spend time with them before shooting? How did you develop a relationship with the dogs?

HALE: Yeah, we did get to meet them beforehand. In particular, my dog, who’s name is Channing Tatum in the film, is played by a dog named Fancy Pants, who is just a star. Fancy is truly a star dog. I didn’t realize there are dog auditions, and there were audition tapes. I got to see Fancy’s audition, where she showed all the tricks that she could do. They decide who they will cast based on how many tricks the dog can do. And I did get to meet her. She plays a boy in the movie, but she’s actually a girl. She was so wonderful. We were like, “It’s gotta be her.” I got to spend a day with her before we started filming, and she took a liking to me when she knew that I had dried chicken in my pocket, at all times. There was a lot of motivation by treats, of course. And then, for Grant’s dog, there was two versions of the dog. They had a little more of a mind of their own. Sometimes they were like, “No, we’re not gonna film right now,” and just walk off set. And there was a hairless cat, which was different. I had never worked with a cat before, and a hairless cat just commands the space its in. They’re really powerful. The cat definitely did whatever it wanted to do. So, I did get to bond a little bit beforehand with Fancy Pants, and by the end, I was really attached to her.

Image via Amazon Freevee

There’s something magical yet terrifying about hairless cats.

HALE: I was terrified. I was scared.

Did you get any say in naming your character’s dog Channing Tatum? Was that always in the script?

HALE: When I first read the script, I think it was Walter White because we thought we were gonna get a white dog. And then, there was a version where it was Kanye Westie, but we decide not to call it that. And then, there was a version that was Mutt Damon, which I thought was funny. I’m not sure who chose Channing Tatum, but we thought it was very funny and we didn’t change it. I thought it was very funny.

What’s it like to have Jane Seymour play your mother? How is it to share scenes with her?

HALE: She’s a legend. I actually thought it was a joke when they told me she was gonna be in the movie. It was amazing. She’s just done so many amazing things, for such a long time, and she’s so gracious and beautiful and funny, and all the things you wish her to be. I just wish I had more scenes with her because she was great. It’s always amazing working with people that you look up to.

The moment when Nicole walks in on a naked Max after his shower, was particularly funny because she’s just not bothered by it, at all. Is it fun to have a moment like that? Typically, in a movie like this, it would be the guy walking in on the naked girl. Was it fun to have that reversal, and how long did you have to keep Grant Gustin naked?

HALE: What’s so funny is that, that was the first scene we shot with Grant. It was our first scene together, and it was all day. Of course, the dogs are in it, so it takes twice as long to get it. That was an all-day thing for dear Grant. I was like, “Why would they schedule this first?,” but it totally worked out. It was so funny. There were so many lines that Nicole says, that would typically be from a guy, but I got to say them. She’s rough around the edges. She has no filter. But what I really love is that she ends up being really protective of Max. She ends up really pushing him to do all the things he wants to do. There were some really great role reversal moments like that.

Image via Amazon Freevee

What was it like to shoot the scenes when your character goes to the big, crazy house for the first time and meets that weird guy? How did you get through that without cracking up because it’s all so absurd?

HALE: It was so absurd. The scene in the restaurant, where we’re smelling fish and all those things, I don’t know how they cut together what I was doing because I could not stop laughing that day. The actor who plays him, Al Miro, is so funny and absurd. He was wearing this pink top down to his knees. This whole movie was like that, though. It was one of those movies where I couldn’t believe that this was my job. We were having so much fun. And that house was ridiculous. I don’t even know if anyone lived in the house that we filmed at, but that was a fun day.

That must have been so weird to have an actor playing a waiter and chewing a breadstick in your ear.

HALE: I know! And the actors who were chewing the breadsticks in our ears didn’t know they were gonna have to do that, that day. They were like, “What are we filming?! This is so bizarre.” That was a first for me, having a breadstick chewed in my ear.

The whole portion of the film with Nicole going on the date with Hunter, that then turns into the nightmare of that whole fight, and then that evolving into the serious fight between Nicole and Max, what was all of that like to shoot and to figure out, especially because that does get vicious by the end of it?

HALE: That was one of the trickiest scenes to shoot because it starts out goofy. Hunter is drunk and he’s doing weird things. He’s doing Kung Fu and he’s got Max’s lightsaber. And then, there’s a specific turn, and we wanted to have that. That’s why I think this movie is great. It’s sweet and cute, but it’s also real. This was one of the scenes where we made stuff up as we went. We wanted it to be little things about people that just really irk you. Underneath it is a bigger problem, but we just thought it would be funny to pinpoint these little things that you would get mad at a roommate for doing. And then, we shot it a million different ways on, different levels, and both screaming and not screaming. It needed to be a big enough moment that Max kicks Nicole out. It’s the turning point of the movie, where they realize, “Oh, God, we’re so different. But, oh, wow, I don’t wanna be without this person.” And so, the fight needed to be that intense. There was a moment where thought, “Oh, this is pretty vicious,” but it’s realistic. They really care about each other, but maybe need to work on their communication skills. That is the turning point.

Image via Amazon Freevee

You get to that moment when they finally realize how much they care about each other, and they’re making out on the couch, but the dogs are interrupting them. What was that like to have to time and get right, with two separate dogs?

HALE: We had to get it right with two separate dogs, but also with two separate dog trainers. It was very funny, but it’s also so realistic because your dogs are like your babies. They’re your sweet, innocent children. So, if you’re hooking up with someone, it feels wrong for them to be around. I’m just laughing. That scene was so funny to film because there was a lot of chaos happening, on the other side of the camera, especially when the dog is humping Grant’s leg at the end. I don’t even know how they got the dog to do that. That’s one of Fancy Pants’ tricks. She can hump a leg. It’s quite a resume.

Do you know what you’re going to be working on next? Are you at a point where you equally look at film and TV projects? How do you approach things, when you’re trying to figure that out what the next thing will be?

HALE: There really is no strategy other than, is this something that sounds like fun? Is this a new character? I think it’s important to be specific about the things you wanna do, but I keep such an open mind. I just had a movie come out that’s a seventies mob movie (Inside Man). I’m just doing a bunch of different things. I don’t really have a rule book for my life or for my career. I definitely love doing films, and one-off films like this, but I do also love TV, and having the structure and getting to have more time to play around. I’m an open book.

What drew you to a seventies mob movie? Was it the character, or was that just an era you wanted to explore?

HALE: Any period piece is very appealing to me. It’s called Inside Man, and it’s based off of true events about the mob in the seventies and early eighties. And I do love that era. I would love to do another movie within that time frame. I had never done a character like that, and I was working with some people that I really respected and admired.

Image via BBC America

We last spoke for Ragdoll, and that show and character was so much darker than a lot of the stuff that you do, especially for something like Puppy Love. Were you intentionally looking for something lighter, when this came your way?

HALE: No. When I tell you I don’t strategically plan anything, I really don’t. It’s so funny because I shot Inside Man and Puppy Love at different times in the year, and of course, they would come out within seven days of each other. I do think it’s important for me, as a person and as an actor, to challenge myself and do different things. If I were to only do rom-coms, I’d get bored. If I were to only do TV, I’d get bored. So, it’s important for me to honor switching it up and not getting too comfortable, but none of it’s ever planned. It’s just like, “Oh, this sounds fun.” I truly just follow my intuition and think about, does this feel right, or does this not feel right? The most simple answer is about what my gut is telling me.

Puppy Love is available to stream at Amazon Freevee.