The dog in 'Prey' had no acting experience before the movie, but she kept getting extra scenes

Now that Prey is out in the world, viewers everywhere are enjoying one of the year's best-reviewed action films, enjoying the fight sequences, the work of star Amber Midthunder, and the new creature design that went into the Predator at the heart of the movie. 

But of course, the human performers (and the human walking around in a Predator suit) are not the only main attractions. Viewers have also fallen in love with Sarii, Comanche warrior Naru's (Midthunder) loyal dog and hunting companion, played by an American Dingo named Coco. According to Midthunder, Coco was not a trained movie dog. She was adopted specifically for the movie (having an old breed makes sense for a film set in the early 1700s), and as a result was a little challenging on the set. 

“She was a little bit of a hot mess – but in a sweet way," Midthuner told Dexerto. "She was not a movie dog, she was literally adopted to be in this movie, and she just happened to be very high-energy.

“She was such a delight to have around, she was so fun and very playful. And then it would be time to do stuff… sometimes she’d do it, sometimes she wouldn’t. But obviously, it all ended up fine, because she was great, and everybody loves her.”

According to director Dan Trachtenberg, Sarii's presence in the film was heavily inspired by The Road Warrior, and "Mad" Max Rockatansky's loyal dog companion from that film, known simply as "Dog." So, giving Naru a dog was always part of the plan for Prey. What changed along the way was just how much Sarii would end up being in the film. 

“We were trying to get Coco out of scenes but the opposite ended up being true, and we ended up including her more – even in some of the action set-pieces, because I just thought it’d be so fun," Trachtenberg said. "One of the great things about Road Warrior is the way Mad Max uses his doggy, so we wanted to have the same kind of fun in this movie as well.”

As any true dog person knows: When you have a good dog by your side, you want to keep finding excuses to have that dog by your side.

Prey is now streaming on Hulu. 

Suddenly in the mood for some quality canine entertainment? Check out A Dog's Tale, now streaming on Peacock!