2018's Breakout Star Is This Westie Named Olivia

There’s a new bitch in town and her name is Olivia, an ultra-talented, 15-pound, three-year-old West Highland White Terrier. With roles in the critically acclaimed Viola Davis film Widows and the Bobby Finger-approved Game Night, she’s undoubtedly 2018’s breakout actor. (For those keeping track: she also had a minor role in Insatiable. Olivia has the range.)

Davis spoke to The Ringer about Olivia earlier this month, emphasis my own:

“I don’t own a dog in life, so I was [complaining] like, ‘I’ve gotta work with a dog. What if the dog licks me? Dogs are nasty and disgusting. Within the first five minutes, I’m kissing the dog, I’m holding the dog, the dog was on my chest. I love that dog, and she came to me so easily.”

In the same article, Game Night’s Jason Bateman said some nice things about working with Olivia, too, including that she was “pretty easy” though “nervous… [and] peed on set” and “didn’t talk that much,” though he continuously misgendered her as a male dog. Even under those conditions, she delivered an unforgettable performance with her pristine coat (anyone who has ever had a westie, or any white furry pup, knows that is next to impossible to maintain. In one scene, she’s accidentally dyed red and my heart sunk. Talk about drama.)