Feline power
Step aside Captain Marvel. Meet the film’s breakout star – Goose the Cat.
CAPTAIN Marvel follows a powerful Kree warrior who stumbles onto Earth and discovers she was once an Air Force pilot named Carol Danvers. But it’s the cat that steals the show.
Primarily played by a cat named Reggie, Goose was initially spotted by Internet sleuths hidden along the edge of Captain Marvel’s first poster before appearing in trailers (and even official merchandise). Goose’s star power just can’t be denied.
During a recent press day for the film in Los Angeles, Reggie was on hand to engage with some questions about working on Captain Marvel opposite Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson as well as the happenings in the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And just like his human MCU counterparts, Reggie was a master at veering away from any major spoilers, especially when questioned about the much-anticipated April release Avengers: Endgame.
Energised from a nap, Reggie answered our questions by nuzzling, pawing and even giving headbutts to Marvel action figures. Or maybe he was just being cute and trying to get treats.
“Reggie is like most animals that people bring to set that have been trained to do this, that or the other,” Jackson said last month during the Captain Marvel press conference.
“He’s snack-oriented. You give him something to eat; you talk softly and nice to him; give him something to eat again. It works out.”
Things weren’t quite as simple for the film’s Oscar-winning star, Larson.
“I am severely allergic,” said Larson. “It was not like a diva, we couldn’t work together, sabotage kind of thing.”
According to Captain Marvel filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the three other cats who also stepped in at times to play Goose – named Gonzo, Rizzo, Archie – were more like Reggie’s stunt doubles.
Boden added that Reggie was so well-trained and easy to direct that it was more of a struggle to get him to just do some cat things.
“Sometimes, we just wanted him to do the random thing that a cat’s going to do – like lick his paw or go rub up against somebody,” said Boden. “So we had to suggest to the trainer, ‘Maybe we just let him do his thing for a little while.’ There’s something about the spontaneity of what an animal can do.”
Comics fans will also note that Goose bears a striking resemblance to comic book Carol’s pet cat, Chewie – who was revealed to be a bit more than an ordinary house cat during some of their intergalactic adventures.
Fans can check out Captain Marvel to see if the two felines have more in common than just orange fur and an affinity for hanging out with Earth’s mightiest hero. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service