Every dog has its day. For Bev Klingensmith, that old saying took on newfound meaning in January 2020. Back then, she received an email from a movie producer who was looking for a very specific kind of dog: a Harlequin Great Dane, still “intact.”
The producer was working on an adaptation of a novel and wanted to follow the book as closely as possible, which is why the dog had to be exactly right. It’s also why Klingensmith, the owner of a 150-pound spotted Great Dane named Bing, got the email.
“When I initially received it, I actually deleted it because it just didn't sound feasible for me and my dog in my life,” she recalled. “You know, we're talking about filming in New York and all of these things, and so I was a little hesitant to even picture myself doing anything like that.”
After giving it some thought, Klingensmith decided she would at least help them find another dog. After all, as a member of the Great Dane Club of America, she had connections and could track down a suitable substitute.
However, through her conversations with the production team, she slowly became more open to the idea of having Bing be part of the movie. She agreed to a meeting to discuss Bing's potential involvement.
“I didn't know it right away, but they told me later that they walked out of meeting us knowing that they found the right dog, which was really cool,” Klingensmith said.
So, just like that, Bing was cast in his first film. But the four-legged actor’s chance at stardom would have to wait.
Within two months, the pandemic shut the world down, and the movie was put on hold. Later, the actors’ strike and writers’ strike further delayed production.
Finally, four years after receiving that first email, Klingensmith and Bing left their home in Newton and drove to New York City to start filming.
Bing in the Big Apple
Bing makes his big-screen debut in The Friend, based on Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 book of the same name. It follows a writer whose life gets turned upside down when her closest friend and mentor dies, leaving his dog in her care.
Naomi Watts plays the writer, whose comfortable New York life is disrupted by the sudden responsibility of a 150-pound Great Dane named Apollo. At first, she’s reluctant to keep him for practical reasons, the destruction of her apartment notwithstanding. She also wonders why her old friend — played by Bill Murray — entrusted her with his beloved dog. But as she spends more time with the huge beast, they begin to develop a bond.
That on-screen bond — in reality, an off-screen friendship — was months in the making. Before filming started, Klingensmith took Bing over to Watts’ home, where they worked to build trust and comfort with each other.
“She truly is very kind and sweet — and a huge animal lover. She had no problem being very serious about the commitment to working with Bing,” Klingensmith said. “She just loved him.”
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
As Bing’s on-set trainer, Klingensmith was responsible for teaching him all the skills and behaviors he needed to perform in the movie. She said he has always been an easy dog to train, but there was one skill he had trouble sinking his teeth into.
“He had to carry something in his mouth, and that does not come naturally to him at all,” Klingensmith said. “We'd actually been working on it, technically off and on for years, knowing that we needed that behavior."
In the end, the hard work paid off — just in time.
"We didn't film the scene that [skill] was needed in until the very last week of our shooting schedule,” Klingensmith said. "It was the weekend before we shot the scene that he finally would take a step with the item without dropping the item.”
A performance that deserves a treat
Although Bing didn't have any prior acting experience, his pedigree includes a fair share of performers. His grandmother and great-grandmother, both raised by Klingensmith, were featured in local commercials years ago.
In Klingensmith’s experience, the safety and well-being of the animal on set is always of the utmost importance. While filming The Friend in New York for three months, she and Bing had some longs days. But they were both able to recover on their days off.
“I couldn't have kept going and doing it if he wasn't enjoying it,” Klingensmith said. “It would've broken my heart if he wasn't enjoying it — and I think it would've shown, too.”
According to Klingensmith, Bing’s favorite days on set were when he got to do the most active behaviors. She suspects it might have something to do with delicious T-R-E-A-Ts.
“We cooked steak and chicken for him, so he had really yummy, high-value treats while we were doing the actual filming,” she said. “That’s what he was working for: my approval and these yummy treats.”
As a long-time dog owner and member of several training clubs, including the Great Dane Club of Des Moines, Klingensmith knows that Great Danes respond best to a gentle approach.
“Danes are a very, very sensitive breed," she said. “So, while they require a firm hand in training, they also require a very soft hand in training. If you were to scold them, or if you were to be too rough on them, it would show. They're just very, very sensitive.”
Because Bing portrays a dog whose devoted owner suddenly dies, his demeanor is intended to look glum in the film. But Klingensmith assures viewers that he’s just doing his job.
“I know he looks sad in the movie, but he's not really sad,” she said. “He's just doing what he's asked to.”
Finding fame after The Friend
With The Friend hitting theaters nationwide April 4, Bing is back in the spotlight. Last week, he joined fellow cast members at red carpet premieres in New York City and even made a surprise appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he sang with Fallon and Watts.
In the fall of 2024, when The Friend was first screening at major film festivals in New York, Telluride and Toronto, Klingensmith and Bing often found themselves at the center of attention.
“We were fortunate enough to go to three film festivals, and we got to meet all sorts of people there,” Klingensmith said. “Angelina Jolie, Mark Hamill, Tom Hiddleston, Don Cheadle, Selena Gomez, Will Ferrell — I mean that was insane. That was really crazy.”
“We were walking in New York one day, and I had a guy that was so excited to meet Bing. He said it was like meeting Robert De Niro on the street.”Bev Klingensmith, Bing's owner and trainer
Klingensmith has always enjoyed when people approach her to admire Bing, but the response since making the movie — as seen on Bing’s very own Instagram page — has been an entirely new experience.
“Having a Great Dane, I'm used to... comments and questions when you're out and about with them anyway. But this definitely takes it to a new level,” she said. “We were walking in New York one day, and I had a guy that was so excited to meet Bing. He said it was like meeting Robert De Niro on the street.”
As for Bing’s career as a movie star, Klingensmith said she’s open to other opportunities — even though Bing is considered a senior at the age of 7. If nothing new comes along, Klingensmith said Bing will enjoy his retirement on their 10-acre farm.
Iowa audiences will have several chances to meet Bing throughout April, including two events hosted by Fridley Theatres: April 11 at the Palms Theatres in Waukee and April 12 at the Fleur Cinema in Des Moines.
Murray, Bing’s co-star, also happens to be in Des Moines on April 11 for an evening performance at Val Air Ballroom as frontman of the rock group Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers.
Capitol II Theatre in Newton is also hosting two events with Bing on April 13 and April 16. And on April 19, Klingensmith and Bing will be at the Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens to give a two-hour presentation about their experience making the movie.
This article was updated on April 1 at 9:30 a.m. to include more Iowa events featuring Bing.
