About old dogs, new tricks.  I’m an old dog and you can teach me a lot of new tricks.  So, I’m not so sure about that...I think that’s just an old, you know, adage that isn’t really appropriate.  But it also shows how a dog, a rescue dog, can end up....  look at the life Papi’s having now.

Really?

Look at this beautiful life.  And often what happens in the dog’s world, which I’ve learned, it’s interesting.  It’s not unlike the movies for human actors.  Once a dog stars in a movie, they don’t work very much anymore, because people go, 'Oh, that’s the dog from Beverly Hills Chihuahua.' 

And so, it’s kind of heartbreaking because, in a way, you know, Papi should have his own T.V. show and honestly, Papi probably won’t work that much anymore...because Papi was in Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Do you think he’s typecast?

That’s it.  It’s typecasting.  You know, she’s going to be typecast as the white, pampered Chihuahua and he’s going to be typecast as the rough and tumble landscaping Chihuahua.

The heart of this movie is, them, your dog, Chloe, and the convergence of two cultures, which is kind of cute.

Well, that was the whole intent of the movie.  The way I like to describe the movie is 'Don’t judge a book by its cover.' Remember that a lot of us are what we’re taught.  Once we get out into a kind of an open world, we really do learn about ourselves and for me it’s a lesson in discovering yourself, discovering your inner resources and then literally, in the movie, finding your voice, in her case, finding her bark. 

It’s about self discovery and you have these two cultures which, there’s a lot in the news.  There’s a lot in politics about immigration, about borders.  And here you have...you’re dispelling a lot of assumptions with this lovely movie about dogs.

It happens in the human characters, too.  Piper’s character

Of course.

It’s actually a correlate- the dogs and the people.  Is that right?

They sort of match the storytelling.  And even Auntie Viv...although, she will always remain someone kind of out there a little bit. It’s just a great movie.  It has everything a family film should have.  It’s got romance.  It’s got a lot of humor. 

A little action, but nothing so overwhelming that kids are going to be, like, ohh.  It’s got action.  It’s got some suspense. But heart. Filled with corazón.  You know, little Papi keeps saying, 'Mi corazón! Mi corazón!'  And, you know, the movie is all about heart.

You like to engage children though, you write.  That’s your thing.

I write books for children.  I have a new book called Big Words for Little People. It’s my eighth book for children.  But I’m proud of it.  It’s a beautiful book about language.

It’s a book about words and ideas and words like consequence and appropriate and inappropriate and words that I think four-year-olds and five-year-olds and six-year-olds can learn.

And I love children.  Obviously, I love children.  I am a child, really.  Hidden away behind my nice black dress, I’m still a little girl and so I think I have a special affinity to children.

You do and children, obviously with you, too.  They respond to you on screen.  That was probably, I’m assuming, what appealed to you about this movie.  You have a choice, you could do an action movie.  You could do whatever you want.

I got a call from Raja Gosnell, the director of the movie, explaining the story of the movie and that he needed Auntie Viv.  He said, 'I need somebody to be Auntie Viv.' 

 I need someone who kids can trust and will recognize, but then will see her great enthusiasm and love for this little dog. We have to see somebody pamper and spoil this dog, but it’s not a cartoon character, it’s a real woman. 

And we would like you to be her.  And I said, ;Thank you for the invitation.  I would love to come.'  I mean, it’s like that thing where you’re sitting at home going 'No one’s inviting me to a tea party.' You know, someone calls you and says, 'I’m having a lovely tea party. 

It’s going to have a lot of dogs. We’re going to Mexico. Would you like to come over?'  'Yes.  Thank you for the invitation. I would love to attend.'

And you like fun.

I’m all about fun.  I’m fun with a capital F.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is out on Disney Blu-ray and DVD from 25th May!
© Disney

Tagged in