7 Celebrities Who Fell in Love With Their Animal Co-Stars So Much They Refused to Be Separated

Sophie Turner and Zunni, Tom Hardy and Rocco, Chris Evans and Dodger... Sometimes celebrities have animals as co-stars, and they get along so well, that it’s just impossible to imagine their separation.

Here at Bright Side we adore the touching stories about animal-human friendship on set that didn’t end on the last day of the shoot. Here’s a list of celebrities that couldn’t help but stay with their animal friends forever.

Sophie Turner and Zunni from Game of Thrones

A northern Inuit dog named Zunni played the direwolfe, Lady, in Game of Thrones, but didn’t make it past the second episode. So Zunni was left with no job and no home. That’s when Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) decided to adopt her, since she’d bonded with Zunni on set. As Turner explains, growing up she always wanted a dog, but her parents never let her have one.

Will Smith and Abbie from I am Legend

Not only did viewers fall in love with the dog named Sam in I am Legend, played by a German Shepherd named Abbey — Will Smith did too! Since the 2 of them formed a deep bond during the filming process, separating after making the movie seemed impossible!

James Gunn and Oreo from Guardians Of The Galaxy

Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn became good friends with the raccoon named Oreo that was a real-life model for the character Rocket Raccoon. Gunn and Oreo even appeared on the red carpet for the premiere together!

Tom Hardy and Rocco from The Drop

You probably know that Tom Hardy is a major dog fan. That’s actually one of the main reasons he auditioned for a role in The Drop (2014), where the main character rescues an abandoned puppy named Rocco. After the film was released, Tom adopted Rocco in real life and, according to paparazzi shots, is taking the pup everywhere with him. Rocco still appears on the actor’s Instagram pretty often!

Ed O’Neill and Bridgett from Modern Family

When O’Neill’s character in Modern Family gets a French Bulldog named Stella, he immediately falls in love. The same happened in real life, on set O’Neill was looking after the pup — whose real name is Bridgett — like a real father. She was born on the streets and then was abandoned by her adopted family. One day, an animal acting agency saved her and after Modern Family, Bridgett found her forever home.

Chris Evans and Dodger from Gifted

The Avengers star Chris Evans first met his co-star Dodger on set of Gifted in 2017. As Chris shares, he became best buds with the rescued, mixed-breed boxer and have been inseparable ever since. Today Dodger is no longer a puppy, but still appears on the Twitter account of his beloved hooman.

Brendan Fraser and Pecas from Texas Rising

On the set of Texas Rising in Mexico, some of the actor horses were picking on one particular horse, Pecas. Brendan noticed it and brought Pecas home. Later, as the actor shared, the horse also formed a special bond with Brendan’s autistic son.

Do you know any other animal actors that were adopted by their star colleagues? We’d be happy to hear from you in the comment section below!