Maria Bakalova on the role of the best dog in the galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
It’s about time the Guardians of the Galaxy had a dog and in Cosmo they have a good dog. While Puppy wasn’t always destined to save the galaxy — she was launched into space from Earth and somehow fell into oblivion until picked up by the Collector and added to his collection — he’s doing it better now that he’s officially and officially joined the ranks with other space heroes.
But who could join the cast and embody the perfect puppet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3?According to returning writer-director James Gunn, prior to Oscar nomination Maria Bakalova, they conducted a very thorough search to find someone to take on Cosmo. Gunn couldn’t be happier with the result, noting that there was something “bitchy” about the actress – and that was a good thing.
“Maria is such a loving person and puts her whole heart into it,” Gunn tells Marvel.com. “Everything that comes out of Maria’s mouth is 100% authentic.He doesn’t censor himself and is just a really loving person. She reminds me of a dog in that way – she’s just very present, very present, and she’s so much fun to be with because she’s like a puppy.”
Bakalova jokes that she’s still as more feline because cats are so independent. But she takes it as a “huge compliment” that she’s showing off her canine traits now.
“I love to smile and jump and have that excitement in my eyes and in my heart and everything.So yes, I can be more like a dog,” he laughs. “I think we should all learn a lot from them because they have this unconditional love that can only teach us to love more, believe more and hope more.”
For the film, Bakalova not only provided the voice of Cosmo, but also provided a reference to capture the character’s movements on set. Right next to it was a dog named Slate, which was also used for reference and play.
“See [Slate] helped me a lot because you can see how he acts because he’s a trained dog,” says Bakalova.”At the same time that Slate was meeting people, he started playing and having fun. That’s interesting, remember, why it’s important to have such high energy levels, because even I’m not excited right now. But I’m trying to stay focused and slow down a bit.
When she’s not filming (or playing with Slate), Bakalova has taken an intensive course in film directing. She has spent almost all of her free time on set following Gunn, learning about and off first-person filmmaking.”Being close to him and watching him create magic reveals many secrets to me,” he adds.
Calling that experience “the greatest school” she could have attended for cinema excited her about the future. “How exactly did he come up with these ideas in his working method, the drawings he makes, the staging, the behind-the-scenes ideas,” he continues. “It makes you improvise and do things that aren’t written, and it makes you open up and rehearse.”
