FOUR-LEGGED MOVIE STAR

Cat trained in the Valley featured in Tom Hanks film

Story by Cindy O. Herman

You know how it is with movie stars. After the hard work of filming and the glitz and glamour of the red carpet, they like to retreat to a quiet spot in the country, far from the red carpets and camera flashes of their job.

Hollywood’s current A-list cat has such a place. When filming for “A Man Called Otto” wrapped, Schmagel returned home with his owner and trainer, Britany Hufnagle Long.

A few years ago, Hufnagle Long was approached by an animal acting agent while showing her golden retrievers at a dog show. That led to her animals performing in television shows like “American Horror Story” and “Law and Order,” commercials and advertising for businesses like Stainmaster, L.L.Bean and Victoria’s Secret, and most recently, the “Otto” movie starring Tom Hanks.

That might sound like she stumbled into a cushy job, but only if you overlook what went into getting there.

“I started a dog grooming business out of my parents’ house when I was 12 years old. It helped pay for school,” said the Selinsgrove native and 2008 graduate of Susquehanna University.

“She started showing her dogs when she was eight, against adults,” said her mother, LuAnn Hufnagle, of Selinsgrove. “We often said if she had four legs and a tail, she would be a happy child.”

With her husband, Bhrett, Britany provides grooming, training, daycare and dog boarding at Hill Crest Canine Country Club on a hilltop south of Catawissa, in Columbia County. The Country Club part of the name is a nod to Bhrett’s love of golf.

“But also because we offer more than boarding,” Britany said. “We sell fancy treats, we have swimming, training, grooming. I have an open house at Christmas and dogs

BRITANY HUFNAGLE LONG, OF CATAWISSA, HOLDS HER CAT, SCHMAGEL, WHO STARRED WITH TOM HANKS IN “A MAN CALLED OTTO.”

Robert Inglis/ Inside PA come for treats. We’re trying to make it enjoyable for dogs and people.”

Few people realize Hufnagle Long, 37, actually had two other animals in “Otto,” a cat named Bacon and a Papillon dog named Ritz. For Schmagel’s role, the acting agency asked for a cat that could look straggly in early scenes — a feat achieved with a “shampoo” of egg yolks. Ritz’s main description was “the neighbor’s annoying dog that pees on everything.” Ritz rocked the role.

“He can do a leg hike where he looks like he’s peeing, but he’s actually not peeing,” Hufnagle Long said.

Training

Parts of “Otto” were filmed outdoors in Pittsburgh, from Feb. 2 to May 4 of last year. Hufnagle Long started training Schmagel in December.

‘You can’t just step onto a set and have a cat ready,” she said. “It’s a big commitment, training-wise. Number one, you must bond with the cat. But then food is definitely a huge motivator. My cat works for his food.”

When Schmagel performs tricks — begging, sitting up on his hind feet — he gets treats.

He accompanied Hufnagle Long when she drove her daughter to school, getting him used to riding in a car. She took him to pet-friendly places like Petco to help with socialization. She worked with him on a concrete stage in a

Bloomsburg park to get him used to sitting on snow or cold ground.

“Keeping the pet safe is the top priority,” she said. “With a cat, you have to make sure that it’s pleasant for them. I timed him to see how long before he felt cold.”

Dogs might stick it out to please their owner, but cats will work only as long as they’re having fun. When Schmagel shivered, the day’s rehearsal ended.

“I know the extensive work that goes into training,” LuAnn Hufnagle said. “I mean, it was weeks and weeks and weeks of preparation and planning, in little increments.”

STARDOM

Tom Hanks is personable and has an amazing memory, Hufnagle Long said. When introduced, he simply said, “Hi, I’m Tom.”

“He cares about the animals,” she said. “He cares that people are having a good time. His wife and son were also very nice in person. All are extremely friendly.”

On set, there was no ogling of the stars; everyone did their job. Hanks, however, did sign a Woody doll for Britany’s daughter. He also spent time getting to know Schmagel.

“I thought that was quite impressive, that he got to know Schmagel on Schmagel’s terms,” LuAnn Hufnagle said.

Filming consisted of Hufnagle Long and her assistant working 15-hour days and staying attuned to the animals’ needs. Schmagel was fed after his role in action scenes, but before a scene where he was supposed to lie on Hanks’ lap, Hufnagle Long fed him so he’d be in a relaxed “food coma.”

Filming outside presented its own challenges.

“There’s no harness on the cat, and he’s outside,” she said. “You have to worry that he’ll get scared and run away. There’s a lot of parts to it.”

As a matter of fact, Schmagel’s sister, Schmiscuit, went along as his understudy just in case Schmagel had a bad day.

“But Schmiscuit didn’t end up doing anything for the movie because Schmagel’s so great,” Hufnagle Long said, pride evident in her tone.

Schmagel even attended a premiere in New York City. Hufnagle Long kept him comfy in a cat backpack with a ventilated window — except when Tom Hanks carried him on the red carpet, dressed in matching blue ties. Hufnagle Long walked along too.

That was a fun experience for a Selinsgrove girl, meeting famous people and blinking in the light from the cameras.

“It was considered work,” she said. “So they paid me to drink my champagne.”

Schmagel’s reviews have been complimentary. Deadline. com called him a scene stealer. Hanks himself, in Collider. com, said it’s not easy to work with a cat, “but we had a good cat.”

Hufnagle Long acknowledged that it took a lot of research and practice, but she was proud of Schmagel and herself.

“When it’s done, and it was done well, I think, it’s a huge sense of pride,” she said.

LuAnn Hufnagle and her husband can’t say enough about their daughter.

“Mark and I couldn’t be more proud because she’s done this on her own. And along with her husband — you couldn’t ask for a better guy,” she said.

Hufnagle Long gave credit to Schmagel.

“He’s used to cameras, but he’s an animal. Sometimes something can upset him,” she said. But after Schmagel came through in true Hollywood style, she added, “He did great.”