The new Superman film is soaring with positive reviews from critics as well as members of the audience, but one character is stealing the hearts of many movie-goers around the country—Krypto the Superdog!
The big-eared, slightly scruffy pup was seen throughout this newest installment of the James Gunn led DC universe, causing chaos and saving the day. The character was created using a combination of a real-life dog (named Jolene), a puppet, and the motion capture performance by actress Murphy Weed.
On a recent episode of Unbothered, Weed discussed her role in the film, the process behind her performance of Krypto, and the optimism that she says seems to be flowing from the screen and into the theater.
Below are some excerpts from Weed about her experience working on the film.
On her role in the film
Weed says most days started by watching a real dog mark the scene.
“I would watch them walk Jolene through [the scene], so they would have her just weave in and out. Or her owner (Connie) would walk Jolene through,” Weed says. “I would watch that and get notes from the Director and the ADs on how they wanted it to be more exaggerated and the actual motion of it all… and then afterwards they would bring in this puppet thing. So, a typical day had me watching her (Jolene) first.”
Regarding Jolene’s “walk in” music
Some have reported that the dog, Jolene, arrived on set each day to the tune of the Dolly Parton song that is her namesake. Weed says that’s “100% true!”
“And the bit never got old… it was every single time! Jolene was truly the star of this movie. David Cornswet (Superman) had his dog there, and it was Jolene, those were the two everyone loved!”
On her preparation and inspiration for the role
Weed says during her audition, she watched a video of Director James Gunn’s adopted dog, Ozu.
“And it was essentially just that energy of [Ozu] just being a very rambunctious rescue dog. I’ve always grown up with dogs too, so I think I was subconsciously picking up on some things I’ve just interacted with my whole life. And a lot of stretching… A LOT of stretching.”
Closing comments
While Weed says the whole thing was a super experience, it did not come with superpowers.
“I did not fly!… I get asked that a lot,” Weed says. “Something that was really cool was that when I doing it, a lot of it felt less like I was doing it for the CGI and it felt like I was there to help the (other) actors because its hard to probably, I’d imagine, for them to act with nothing and like pretend something is there. So, I almost felt as though I was there to aid them, and not have my body be animated. So, that was cool… to help them get their performance out.”
To hear the full conversation, check out our Podcast Unbothered.
