Featured Photo: Q’orianka Kilcher (Photo: Self) / Dog (Photo: MGM)
Q’orianka Kilcher, the actress of Peruvian descent who appeared in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, will star opposite Channing Tatum in the upcoming comedy movie Dog. The film, which marks Tatum’s directorial debut, will premiere February 18.
Dog is a non-traditional buddy comedy in which the two friends are a man and a pooch, both with military backgrounds.
The film follows the misadventures of two former Army Rangers members paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. A tragedy brings together U.S. Army Ranger Briggs (Tatum) and Lulu, a Belgian Malinois, who must buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast to make it in time to the funeral of the soldier who was the dog’s handler and beloved companion. The trip is not easy for the two strong personalities who drive each other nuts, break a handful of laws, narrowly evade death and learn to let down their guards to have a fighting chance.
Kilcher will play Niki, an ex-partner of Tatum’s Briggs with whom she has a little daughter. Niki has raised the child by herself and is not ready to get back together with the army ranger.
The MGM feature is produced by Gregory Jacobs, Peter Kiernan, Brett Rodriguez, with the latter also sharing writing credits with Reid Carolin. Carolin also co-directs with Tatum.
The actress joins a cast that also includes Jane Adams, Kevin Nash, Ethan Suplee, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Nicole LaLiberté, Luke Forbes and Ronnie Gene Blevins.
Kilcher is an artist proud of her Indian roots who advocates for the inclusion and accurate portrayal of the native peoples of the Americas. Born in West Germany, her father is reportedly of both Quechua and Huachipaeri, two tribes of Peru descent, her mother is of Swiss-German background. In fact, the name Q’orianka means “Golden Eagle” in Quechua.
The actress has often played Native roles including her recent role as Angela Blue Thunder on the Paramount Network western series Yellowstone. Before that, she played Incan Princess Kawillaka in the Paramount Player’s film Dora and the Lost City of Gold. In 2018 she starred in as Mary Palmer in the Golden Globe-nominated series from Anonymous Content The Alienist.
(Photo: Paramount)
Kilcher had the the title role of the film Te Ata based on the life and career of the Native American trailblazer and storyteller Te Ata. The Peruvian-American thespian may be best known for her portrayal of Pocahontas opposite Colin Farrell and Christian Bale in Terrence Malick’s 2005 film The New World. That role won her the National Board of Review’s best breakthrough performance and the Alma Award for best Latin American actress in a feature film.
Brett Rodriguez has worked with the Magic Mike Channing in a handful of projects since 2007 when he worked as a military consultant in Stop-Loss. He later worked as an assistant to Tatum in three films, Fighting, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Dear John, in which he also worked as a stunt player. His first and producing film credit is the 2017 HBO documentary War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend, which Tatum exec produced.
On February 10, prior to the film’s premiere, Tatum and Rodriguez will participate in a live discussion and Q&A about their new movie for The United Service Organizations Inc., a nonprofit that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.
MGM will release Dog domestically and FilmNation will handle the international rights.
The movie is rated PG-13 for language, thematic elements, drug content and some suggestive material.
