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She may be the first cow, but shes also, you know, just a cow.
For an animal role, its pretty high steaks.
What makes for a good movie cow?
After taking stock of her options, the director went with Eve.
Shes very petite, says Henry.
She does have big eyes.
She was commanding onscreen without being overwhelming, like,Whoa, theres a cow.
Aesthetically, Eves muted-brown color turned out to match the films palette.
And best of all, her personality made her a natural performer.
This particular cow loves people and loves anything to do with people, says Henry.
She thrives on the attention, the affection, the focus being on her.
Compared to horses, cows are very practical animals, Henry says.
They dont get upset about things.
Its not something theyre afraid of when they see it for the first time.
Its all been positively associated with good things happening in their lives.
It also helped that Eve is, as Henry puts it, very food motivated.
She loves apples and oats and carrots, too.
Both trainer and co-stars praise the vibe Eve brought to the set.
When theres any interaction between her and [Magaro], its genuine, says Henry.
it’s possible for you to feel it.
Its not like shes checked out and things are just happening around her.
Shes involved in those scenes, and shes involved with him.
Shes almost ignoring everything else thats going on around her.
Magaro had to milk Eve himself no stunt doubles here.
Otherwise, the only major instruction for acting opposite a cow was not to stand behind her.
After that, they were like, Youre on your own now, kid, he says.
Something about her energy was really calming, he says.
Theres something about being that close to an animal that big and feeling safe.
Surprising everyone, Eve also brought a professional yes, and spirit to the gig.
In her biggest scene, she was supposed to warmly greet Magaro at a crucial moment.
I was like,Oh no, shes pattern trained now.
She cant understand that we just switched it, Henry says.
Except, once the camera started rolling, Eve nailed it anyway.
She found Magaro and nuzzled him like an old friend.
She absolutely understood what that scene required, Henry says.
She tried really hard to figure it out:You guys cant fool me.
Hes over here now.
Magaro was so impressed he figured she must have been improvising.
How could you have ever planned for her to be constantly nuzzling against me?
It became a lot more than what it could have been.
Evie (titular cow of@FirstCow) had a baby and named it Cookie!
She had given birth to a calf, named Cookie after Magaros character.
Henry says Eve hasnt retired from the movie industry.
Im hoping another job shows up for her soon.
