Matt Damon says his upcoming blockbuster The Odyssey was the “most difficult movie” he’s ever made.
But at least “The Rip” star spoke out this week about her experience at Los Angeles’ famed Eastwood Ranch Foundation animal shelter and adoption facility, where she received pet therapy.
Damon, who is on the cover of the new GQ promoting The Odyssey, is also giving an interview about the upcoming Christopher Nolan film to a perhaps less visible outlet: animal advocacy site The Dodo.
The animal-loving star, who has five pets at home, appears in an Instagram clip of The Dodo held at Eastwood Ranch in support of the California Pet Adoption Day event on June 6th.
The Oscar winner, 55, is seen holding Jojo for the first time. Jojo is an adorable, scruffy terrier mix pup straight out of the lead role in the Benji reboot. (Seriously, if such a thing existed, JoJo might be captured by CAA’s dog division.)
Damon also plays with a fluffy blind and deaf mutt named Piper. Piper wears a contraption on her head for protection.
While petting a cute puppy on the ground, Damon said of working with Oppenheimer author Nolan on his latest film: “It was the hardest movie I’ve ever made. Chris likes to shoot everything real, so there’s no green screen, no tricks, no studio shots.”
Back at the rescue ranch, Damon explains to viewers that he was actually there to visit Betsy, a pit bull who had been waiting for a home for a year and a half after being rescued from a shelter in Los Angeles.
While playing with Betsy, Damon wraps a bandana around the dog as a bond between man and beast.
He explains that the four-legged friend is the dog’s “date” for the day. “Betsy has been here the longest…she really needs a family to take her in.” He also calls her “Little Hippo Betsy.”
The Eastwood Ranch Foundation was founded by Alison Eastwood.
