Inside the Actors Studio: Moose

[Brian Damage]

A Jack Russell terrier born in Florida as one of ten pups, Moose graduated from Orlando University with a bachelor's degree in obedience. He taught sign language after college at Canine Corral, but he grew tired of teaching and decided to give show business a try. At the urging of a local talent scout, he auditioned for, and won, a starring role in the Universal Studios' "Animal Actors' Showcase."
Moose has appeared in several national print and television commercials. He has also graced the covers of "Life magazine,""TV Guide" and "Entertainment Weekly," and he has his own calendar.

Moose can currently be seen in the feature film "My Dog Skip," portraying the mature version of Skip -- his 4-year-old son, Enzo, plays the young Skip. Enzo sometimes fills in for his father for the more strenuous work on "Frasier." Moose resides in West Los Angeles with his trainer, Mathilde De Cagney, and his son Enzo.

[TJL]

Moose, what is your favorite curse word?

[CliffClavin]

Moose: That would be b**ch , James

[TJL]

Originally posted by CliffClavin
Moose: That would be b**ch , James

Excellent.

[Chambers]

That was good, Cliff.

[barwars]

Originally posted by Chambers
That was good, Cliff.

very.

[Chambers]

True Hollywood Story: Moose


Forget about Shelley versus the Cheers cast. Forget about Suzanne Summers and Three's Company. Not all was roses on the set of Frasier. It didn't take a psychologist to detect the tension between the cast and that little dog America has come to adore: Moose, the Jack Russell Terrier.

Kelsey: Well, when David, John and Jane...and Peri, of course...when we did our first table reading, we knew this was going to be a great show. Because we had incredible chemistry together - the actors, you know. And, naturally, that chemistry translates into the chemistry between the characters themselves. But when we did the casting for the part of Eddie, something just...changed.


Others in the cast were not as perceptive as Kelsey.


John: Oh, I loved the little mutt! I thought he was the cutest dog out there - and so smart. But...it only took a few days of rehearsal to realize that...uh...things just weren't going to work out.

Peri: He just wasn't...you know...open and receptive like you'd expect a dog to be. He'd give you one look and you'd feel chills down your spine - literally. He's uh...not the uh...not that...oh f**k this! I'm just gonna go right out and say it! Moose was a mean, hairy piece of--(cut to David)

David: I was lucky enough never to have an actual uh open conflict with Moose. However, what I think was the biggest problem between him and the rest of the cast was that he was a method actor. Yeah, he was a method actor. Not that there's anything wrong with method acting...but it didn't really rub well with the rest of us. Or the directors or writers or producers...or the caterers or set designers. It wasn't just Moose against the actors. It was Moose against everyone. I think the problem is when the actor doesn't have the...what's the word...the humility to accept the fact that the rest of us don't always know our lines perfectly on the first go. I'll never forget that one time when Kelsey and I were having problems with a particular scene. Moose walked right out of there, slammed the door of his dressing room and didn't come out for another four hours. And even then, he only came out because he needed to go on his walk. (bows head and sighs)


When the Emmy nominations rolled in, the tension on the set worsened.

Kelsey: Oh yeah, he was pissed. He was furious that he didn't get a nomination. And he made sure I knew that - he urinated all over my Emmy, that little son of a b*tch.


By season 3, the conflict between Moose and another secondary character, Bulldog, became personal.


Dan: Moose had a...Moose's problem with me was that I also played a character who was, you know, pretty blue-collar. In my view of things, he was just jealous of my success. Face it - he wanted me out of the show. He said I was "ruining the vitality" of his character. But we all really knew it was jealousy. Especially because I was getting more fan letters about my Bulldog bark than he ever did about his puny little bark.

Kelsey: It really was hell. People think I was acting when Frasier glared at Eddie. [shakes head] I wasn't acting.

John: I've never had more trouble searching for a character's motivation than in those scenes between Martin and Eddie.


Like all successful sitcoms, money eventually becomes an issue.


Peter Casey: This happened right after Kelsey got his... ya know...gigantic salary raise. I remember like it was yesterday. The other producers and I were having our weekly meeting like we always do. All of a sudden, Moose stormed into the room and simply demanded more money. He didn't beat around the bush, he didn't try to be subtle. He asked for his salary to match that of Kelsey. It was ridiculous. We fired him right then and there. It was a tough decision, but we all stand by it to this day.

David Lee: People still believe that we replaced Moose with his son near the end of the series because of his age. Well that had nothing to do with it. [pause followed by a laugh] And lucky for us that Enzo is nothing like his dad! [laughs]


But there was one cast member who was able to get along with Moose during the 8 seasons he was on the show.


Jane: I feel that Moose and I understood each other from day one. Sure, we weren't friends. But we weren't enemies either. We managed to keep our distances - and I'm glad I never really got close to him. The reason for that? I'm a cat person.

[Chambers]

Yeah, I know: LAME> But I was bored and couldn't sleep. Um, yeah. That was it.

[barwars]

hahaha
I love it.

[Moondance]

I loved it also!!! Bravo, Chambers!



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