Harleythepug isthemost professional actorIhave everworked with..justdon’t tellmymum
had become as a dog owner. She said: “I was out with my little Patrick and my Alaskan Malamute and suddenly realised how many people I’d spoken to in a 45-minute walk. The reason was the dogs. I realised that if you have a dog, you’re never alone.
“So I had the idea of a woman whose life was going wrong and her granny bequeathed her a dog and it changed her life.
“Disney came on board, we got Mandie to direct and Beattie has been amazing. We had the first screening with an audience last week and it was nerve-wracking but they whooped and they cheered and there were a few tears.”
After TV shows like Jam and Jerusalem, Josh and The Wright Way, Patrick’s release sees Beattie on the brink of stardom in her own right. he admitted that in the early days, having parents who had been successful in the same field had its ups and downs.
Beattie said: “I started in comedy at the fringe and on the circuit in London and Manchester, so I think that had an advantage in that it’s an interesting thing for people and some might come and see what the show is like. The disadvantage is that’s often all people talked about in reviews.
“I’d sometimes think, ‘What am I doing? Why have I chosen to do this?’ But I could never imagine doing anything else.”
After a smaller role in Ab Fab the Movie, she’s working again with her mum. Beattie joked: “People often ask what it’s like to work with your mum and I say it’s like working with your mum - imagine if your mum was here, just chiming in.
“It’s great because she is lovely and amazing at what she does, but it’s also embarrassing because she’s my mum.”
Although she doesn’t have her own pooch at home, Beattie grew up with dogs and said she hopes pooch lovers and families in general can enjoy the film.
She said: “It’s a really sweet story, it has a very sweet heart to it, which I have not seen a lot of recently. It’s kind of a perfect antidote to the current climate.
“It’s sunny, optimistic and joyful.” ●Patrick is in cinemas now.