Doggin' It
Courtesy of the Calgary Sun
Comedian finds a movie in boy-meets-girl-meets-pooch
By LOUIS B. HOBSON
Tuesday, September 21, 1999
Most people try to forget their dog days.
Not Bruce McCulloch.
The Calgary-born comedian and filmmaker spun his depression into a romantic comedy, called Dog Park, that opens Friday.
For six years, McCulloch was one of the creators and stars of the cult TV show Kids in the Hall. When the series finally ended three years ago, McCulloch and his co-stars teamed up for the Kids' movie Brain Candy.
"The series was over, we'd finished the movie and I'd broken up with my girlfriend in Toronto so I moved to Los Angeles with my dog Kelsey. I was supposed to be fielding (acting and writing) offers in L.A. but I felt so disconnected that I preferred to go to a near-by dog park and play with Kelsey," recalls McCulloch.
With each new visit to the park McCulloch began to observe patterns. "The dog owners were flirting and actually pairing off. The park was substituting for a single's bar."
McCulloch also noticed something in his own life. "When we were together, my girlfriend really didn't like Kelsey all that much but after we broke up she would call to enquire about her.
"I had other friends who got into a custody battle over their dog when they broke up."
It wasn't long before a movie began to write itself. Dog Park became the story of people in relationship limbo and a few in relationship hell.
McCulloch also wanted to direct and star in Dog Park so he went the independent route and set the budget at around $5 million US.
To his surprise, McCulloch found that the budget did not pose major problems for casting - he was able to snag Luke Wilson, currently starring with Martin Lawrence in the No. 1 film at the box office, Blue Streak.
Alberta model-turned-actress Natasha Henstridge approached McCulloch about playing the female lead.
"I had thought of Natasha for a supporting role. I didn't think as a former model that she could possibly understand what it's like to feel lonely and rejected, but she soon put me straight."
McCulloch plays a magazine publisher who is cheating on his longtime girlfriend. He wrote the role of the girlfriend for Janeane Garofalo.
"I sent Janeane the script knowing we couldn't really afford her. She said she'd do it and because she didn't mention salary neither did I.
"By the time we got around to talking money, she was already on the set in Toronto but she said she loved the script so much that it didn't matter."
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