Tango the cat playing the role of Goose in “The Marvels”.Photo:Laura Radford/Marvel Studios
Laura Radford/Marvel Studios
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s favorite feline is back. Goose the cat is returning to the big screen inThe Marvels.
The new film, in theaters Nov. 10, is a sequel toCaptain Marveland also starsBrie Larsonas Captain Marvel,Iman Vellanias Ms. Marvel, andZawe Ashtonas Dar-Benn.
While the character of Goose is returning forThe Marvels, the feline actor who portrayed the animal companion inCaptain Marveldid not reprise their role.The Marvelsfilmed in the U.K., not the U.S., likeCaptain Marvel, and recruited local animal talent for the movie.
The trainer found a selection of cats that looked like the feline who played Goose inCaptain Marvel, and two of those animals got the part.
Goose the cat’s character poster for “The Marvels”.Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
“They picked Tango as the lead cat, and then we utilized Nemo as a backup cat,” Vaughn tells PEOPLE of the pets selected for the role.
Both animals were new to acting, so Vaughn “started from scratch,” training the cats for the movie over three months. First, she tackled environmental training, making the felines comfortable with a live film set’s active, loud, and often chaotic environment.
“The environment is a big factor because cats are generally quite nervous creatures, so they have to be comfortable around all those people and sounds,” the trainer says.
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Most cats' initial timidness to new environments is one of the most noticeable differences between training cats and dogs for Vaughn.
“Everybody takes their dog for a walk. Most people take their dogs in the car. Unless you’re taking your cat to the vet, nobody takes their cats anywhere. Usually, if your cat goes outside your house, it’s a bad experience. So you have to teach cats all these new things are positive,” she adds.
Tango the cat playing the role of Goose in Marvel Studios' “The Marvels”.Marvel Studios
After mastering environmental training, Tango and Nemo focused on learning specific behaviors needed forThe Marvels. Before filming started, Vaughn trained both cats to hit all their marks based on what appeared in the script.
“The biggest thing to us trainers is that the cat is comfortable knowing what we’re asking of them,” Vaughn says.
Because the cats are trained to perform certain behaviors on cue, even when surrounding circumstances change, they rarely get starstruck.
“If they have to sit on somebody’s shoulder, we teach them long before they ever come to set how to jump and ride on someone’s shoulder. So to them, it doesn’t make much difference who that person is,” Vaughn says.
“Animals are a lot easier to train at home, and it’s quite rewarding,” Vaughn says. “It definitely builds more of a bond than you would have just living alongside a pet.”
The Marvels is in theaters on Nov. 10.
source: people.com
