TORONTO -- Christopher Walken has a cat, Woody Harrelson has a pit bull mix and Sam Rockwell has a German shepherd.
So they can all relate to the lengths some pet owners will go to for their beloved animals, a key theme in the new comic/action flick "Seven Psychopaths," also starring Colin Farrell and Tom Waits.
Walken preys on devoted pet owners who are willing to pay out big cash rewards for the return of their lost pets. His easy-money plan is going swimmingly until he hits the wrong mark: Charlie Costello, played by Harrelson, a brutally tough gangster who will literally murder anyone who harms his shih tzu.
"I am an animal lover," says Harrelson, who was in town to promote the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival.
"I have a dog who I'd probably go Charlie Costello crazy (for) if I lost (it)."
The shih tzu, Bonny, doesn't get top billing with the other actors but is a constant presence in the film. And he has serious acting chops, Walken says.
"Animals are famously -- in movies -- supposed to be difficult. This dog was just a saint. He was in just about every scene," he says.
Along with Bonny, numerous other dogs played small parts in the film and Waits's character, another murdering psychopath, is fond of rabbits. There were 52 rabbits in total on set for the film.
Adding to the menagerie was Rockwell's German shepherd, who visited the set.
"Dogs and children, they upstage you," says the actor with faux annoyance, who later called the animals critical to the story.
"There's a lot of loyalty issues in the film that are dealt with, with friends and with animals."
"Seven Psychopaths" opens Oct. 12.
