Q&A With Glenn Close
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 Me and my first dog, Docus. He tolerated my constant hugs.  Gaby, my Coton de Tulear, at a costume fitting in Paris for DANGEROUS LIAISONS. She loved expensive fabrics! |
FETCHDOG: When did you become a dog lover?
GC: Before I was born. Both my parents are huge animal lovers. We always had at least two dogs, always including a collie. When I was little, and my father was in medical school in New York, he would rescue street dogs from the labs and bring them out to the country. It made for a very motley pack. My first dog was a beautiful tri-colored collie named Merry-Mark-of-Mooreland, but I called him Docus. I must have been about four or five when he died. I wore his collar as a belt. FD: Why dogs? GC: I believe that dogs teach us kindness, loyalty, responsibility and unconditional love. A dog's sensitivity to every nuance of our voice and body language teaches us to be aware of how our actions affect other living creatures. It's very basic. FD: How have you balanced work and your dogs? GC: I've always chosen to have little dogs, so as to make travel a bit easier. When my daughter, Annie, was little, all of us would go on location--a true traveling circus. When Annie was only seven weeks old, we went to France to shoot Dangerous Liaisons. I will never forget the look of horror on a passenger's face when I appeared on the plane with a baby and a dog---Gaby, a wonderful Coton de Tulear. Happily, both dog and baby slept the entire trip. |
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| FD: Have you ever rescued a dog? GC: Actually, we once rescued a terribly abused dog that showed up, whining pitifully, outside my camper in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, during the shooting of Sarah, Plain and Tall. I have never seen so many ticks on a dog and he had heart worm. We took him home where he recovered completely and was one of our most beloved pets. Because he must have existed mostly on bugs before he found us, we named him Chigger. FD: How did Bill and Jake come into your life? GC: A woman in McAllister, Montana, has been breeding a very special combination of various terriers for a number of years. My family has had a lot of them. Annie picked Jake out of a litter after we had lost a dog. He is the smartest and sweetest dog I have ever known. Bill is Jake’s nephew and side-kick. They keep us laughing. |
 Annie with our beloved dog, Chigger, who we rescued off the Kansas plains. |
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FD: What kind of cars would they drive? GC: Jake would drive an old, second-hand Mercedes and Bill would drive a Mini Cooper. FD: What would be the titles of their autobiographies? GC: Jake's would be: Reflections of an Observant Mind. Bill's would be: Food and Peace. FD: What is Jake and Bill's idea of perfect happiness? GC: Jake: To be included Bill: An endless feast. FD: What do Bill and Jake like most about you? GC: I can read their thoughts; which isn't that great a feat since they usually have one of three things on their minds: When's dinner? Can we come? I need to go out. FD: How did you rationalize playing Creulla – the most famous dog hater ever — with the fact that you are such an avid dog lover? GC: I actually had a hard time with it. Whenever I was in full Cruella drag, no dog would have anything to do with me. My costumes frightened them even before I opened my mouth. It was sad for me because we had extraordinary canines in both movies. FD: Is there a secret about you that only your dogs know? GC: I've been known to snack on an occasional dog biscuit. FD: What is your dogs' pet peeve about you? GC: That I can get distracted between, "Want to go out?" and actually opening the door. FD: What musical instruments would your dogs play? GC: Jake: A sweet jazz saxophone Bill: A kazoo FD: What do your dogs think about cats? GC: Jake: They're okay as long as they move slowly and are polite. Bill: Whatever Jake thinks. FD: What excites your dogs the most? GC: Jake: Hearing the magic words — "You're coming!" Bill: Dancing or just hopping around. 
FD: What is your favorite thing to do with your dogs?GC: Taking them into Central Park, early in the morning, and watching them socialize with a great, cross-section of canines. FD: What do your dogs feel about politicians? GC: It's hard to say without a good, long sniff. FD: What is your dogs' favorite movie? GC: Jake: A Man For All Seasons Bill: Forrest Gump FD: What is it about you that make your dogs most proud? GC: I am not intimidated by loud barking. FD: Do your dogs like to dress up? GC: They accept it as part of their job description. FD: Do each of your dogs have a special talent? GC: Yes. Jake can jump like a flea and Bill holds the world title for devouring his dinner in the shortest amount of time. FD: If your dog were a famous person, who would it be? GC: Bill would be Barney Fife and Jake would be the Dali Lama. FD: What is Jake and Bill's idea of perfect happiness? GC: Jake: To be included Bill: A bottomless food bowl. FD: What is your idea of perfect happiness? GC: To be under the shade of a beautiful tree, on a breezy, high-summer day, with a good book, a dog at my feet and the people I love most within sight. |
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on Nov 11, 2007