Luke Wilson kept the budget on his new movie The Wendell Baker Story low by calling in favors from family members. Wilson and his brother Andrew co-directed the film and decided there were numerous roles for their family members in front of and behind the camera. Even the star’s dog made an appearance.

Luke explains, “Our mom’s in the film, Andrew, my brother Owen, our Uncle Joe, who we called the director of special operations. My dog, Brother, played the part of Junior. There’s lots more. It just kind of all happened. I mean I knew it would be fun to work with Andrew and then the idea of Uncle Joe came up - he was in the construction business for 40 years and he did a lot of great stuff in the movie.

“He’s the guy that finds the plane in the film and talks that guy into landing on the narrow country road. Then Brother, the dog, is kind of a crazy dog but I know him and he knows me and at least he’ll stick by me and walk beside me during scenes.

“I’ve worked with those movie dogs that are supposedly pros but then they can’t do the simplest things. And the dog wranglers can be quirky to say the least. They’re required by law to wear a couple of fanny packs (waist-mounted bags), where they carry the treats.”

Side Note: We incorrectly posted a story of OWEN who brought his dog, Garcia, to be used in the film previously. Thanks to CDW reader Robin for giving us the correct info!

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