Georgia Magazine - October 2019 - 18

Left: Carol Tresan shows off Cali, a blue-and-yellow macaw who
appeared in the movie "Stuber." Above: Trained rat Mr. Green's film
credits include "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Avengers."

The demands of stardom
"We can have anything from three months' to
three minutes' notice to provide animals for a film,"
Carol Tresan says. "That's the joy and the challenge
of what we do every day, and we love it."
"The hours can be grueling, and scheduling can
be a nightmare," her husband adds. "We may have as
many as a dozen shows going on at the same time.
Just recently we had four jobs in three states all on
the same day."
The Tresans and their animals have worked on
hundreds of films, including "Black Panther," "The
Hunger Games" franchise, "I, Tonya," "Avengers:
Endgame" and "The Mule." Olivia, a West Highland
white terrier, has made quite a name for herself,
starring as Jesse Plemons' dog in "Game Night" and
appearing with Viola Davis and Liam Neeson in
"Widows." Cruiser, described on his casting card as
an "all-American" dog, appeared in the first season
of the Netflix series "Stranger Things," the film "The
Darkest Minds" and the CBS reboot of the TV series
"MacGyver."

It's not as easy as it looks
Tresan says that when people find out what he
and Carol do, the first thing they ask is if they can get
their pets into the movies.
"That's really not how it works," he says. "Direc-

Georgia Magazine

October 2019

tors and producers are very specific about an animal's role in a
film. They're not looking for cats who can sit up and beg for food
or horses who can stand on their hind legs. One of the keys is
finding an animal that can remain calm on set and perform exactly as the director wants. Our business is also about managing
directors' expectations and still being able to provide an animal
whose actions are authentic and believable."
When Animal Casting-Atlanta doesn't have a particular
animal on its farm, the Tresans call on their vast network of
connections for animal talent. Sometimes they issue casting
calls through their Facebook page, and they even offer animal
acting lessons on their website, animalcastingatlanta.com, if
you think your dog or cat may have star quality.

Family first
"Another part of our job that people don't think about
is keeping all the animals happy, healthy and safe," he says.
"No animals are harmed, and we return them to their original
environment."
Many of the Tresans' creatures are rescues. They do not
breed animals. And whether the members of their menagerie
live indoors or out, they're all members of the Tresan clan.
"Our animals are family first, then they're talent," Carol
Tresan says. "We love what we do and wouldn't trade it for
anything. I'd rather be working 12 hours a day in all kinds of
weather than sitting in the same cubicle day after day."
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer living in Flowery
Branch.

http://www.animalcastingatlanta.com

Georgia Magazine - October 2019

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