Interview With David Deluise: Pup Star Movie Now On NetFlix

Photo Credit: Week99er.com

Recognize the handsome face? Not the hottie in the black leather jacket, I’m talking about the handsome guy standing next to her! David DeLuise, star of and Pup Star Season 2 (currently being filmed), is not only a seasoned actor but also son of the late & great Dom DeLuise. Last week while covering the film Pup Star Season 2, in theaters Summer 2017, I had the opportunity to meet David and discuss his role in the movie. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect when meeting David. He grew up surrounded “in the business”, his Godmother is even Mel Brooke’s late wife Anne Bancroft, and yet he carries the “DeLuise” name; a name that is attached to a Legend. If he was anything like his Dad, I expected him to be friendly, funny and a geniunely good person. After meeting David and chatting with him for over an hour, I can assure you, he not only met those expectations but exceeded them!

Photo Credit: Week99er.com

Along with being extremely talented, David DeLuise is also hilarious, entertaining, attentive, down to earth and an all around nice guy. We were there to interview him on his role in Pup Star Season 2 but he kept turning the conversation back on us, he wanted to get to know us. His stories commanded the room but his spirit put us at ease; it was like having coffee with your bestie. Here are some highlights and snapshots with David DeLuise, my new BFF.

On Growing Up & The Acting Business

I learned a lot from my Dad (Dom DeLuise). People sometimes ask, ‘When did you want to start being an actor?” I didn’t really have a choice, I mean I had a choice but not really. Growing up it was, “Who can make me cry the fastest? Or who can make me laugh?” It was training but we didn’t even know we were being trained, which is the best kind of training. My Dad gave us a video camera when we were young. Im old, 45, so having a video camera was a big deal. It was a camera you hold and its connected to a VCR and we would make home movies, which was the best. I teach acting classes to kids and I always tell them, you have a movie studio on your phone! You can write a script, score it, film it, cut it, you can do everything! It’s just that I think a lot of kids are scared to do something because they are scared to do it wrong. I say just do it, just go do it.

Photo Credit: Week99er.com

On Working With Animals

When you are working with animals, the trainers are always directing the animals and how do you work with that? You have to keep acting, saying your lines and stay in character, all while hearing multiple trainers at one time say “STAY! GOOD BOY! GOOD BOY! STAY!” Its tough, you have to stay in the moment of whats going on and you also have to let the trainer do what they do.

We are not suppose to interact with the animals, so the attention is not taken away from the trainer. I only interact when the trainer says I can. So there was this scene, I got time with the little Yorkie and we have the sweetest moment. During this moment, the trainer is behind us directing the dog, the sound machines are going on full blast, I have this stinky goo all over my face (so the Yorkie will lick me), ALL this stuff going on and somehow the shot worked. And it was magical! That moment could have taken 4 hours but it took maybe 5 to 10 minutes for that little part in the movie and it worked so well.

On His Own Animals

We had a CocKapoo growing up my dad trained. He would put him up in the corner and the dog would stay there, my Dad would go “Freeze!” and the dog would stay still in the corner with his paws up. Then when he would shoot him the dog would play dead.

A dog is a lot more responsiblity than a cat. Personally I didn’t need a dog, I just needed my kids to go to the bathroom on their own. We did have a cat, mix of black and white, but we got her when Batman came out. It was the BatMan with Michelle Pfeiffer as CatWoman. Our cat had a black mask so we called her ‘Pfeiffer’, she lived 18 years. We got the cat when my wife was pregnant, and she was worried about toxoplasmosis, so I was stuck cleaning the litter box. After the baby was born I was like, “Yes! Now you can clean the littler box!” “Well, when I am done breast feeding.” Then it became, what if I am pregnant again and we arent sure? I cleaned that litter for 18 years and it wasnt even my idea to get the cat!

On Pup Star Movie

Air Bud Entertainment makes great family-friendly films you dont have to prewatch! There are some family friendly friends where you are like, “Is this really too advanced and appropriate?” And the kids are like, “Whats going on?” Whats nice in the Pup Star world is that kids use their imaginations and the magic of their fantasy world and they really are believe the animals are real! And making the film, we start to believe it too! True story and quote of the day on set: “Cut! The humans can take 5!”