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6 celebrities who adopted animals from TV and movie sets

Gabbi Shaw   

6 celebrities who adopted animals from TV and movie sets
"The Electric Horseman."Universal Pictures
  • Actors speak about the things they took from set all the time, whether it's a significant piece of clothing or a prop that really mattered to them.
  • But some stars take it a step further, and adopt their animal co-stars as pets after filming wraps.
  • Viggo Mortensen has adopted multiple horses from the films he's been in.

These celebrities took work home with them in the most fun way possible — they adopted their animal co-stars after filming wrapped.

From Sophie Turner's direwolf on "Game of Thrones" to Tiffany Haddish's kitten from "Keanu," some stars can't seem to let go of their on-screen furry friends.

Keep scrolling to see which six stars adopted pets from the set.

Sophie Turner adopted her direwolf from the set of "Game of Thrones."

Sophie Turner adopted her direwolf from the set of "Game of Thrones."
Turner and her direwolf in "Game of Thrones."      HBO

In "Game of Thrones," every Stark child has their own direwolf — a fictional creature that's essentially a wolf, but much larger and smarter. Turner's character, Sansa, unfortunately was forced to have her direwolf Lady executed due to the cruelty of Joffrey.

But Turner couldn't bear to leave behind Zunni, the dog who played Lady. "Growing up I always wanted a dog, but my parents never wanted one. We kind of fell in love with my character's direwolf, Lady, on set. We knew Lady died and they wanted to re-home her. My mum persuaded them to let us adopt her," Turner told Coventry Telegraph.

Elizabeth Taylor shared a special bond with her horse in "National Velvet." She was given the horse after filming wrapped.

Elizabeth Taylor shared a special bond with her horse in "National Velvet." She was given the horse after filming wrapped.
Taylor and King Charles in "National Velvet."      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

According to Horse and Hound, Taylor had been riding King Charles for years before he became her co-star in the 1945 film, "National Velvet," which is about the original horse girl, Velvet Brown, who wins a horse in a competition. The story goes that King Charles only treated Taylor well — he bit everyone else. So, for her 13th birthday, the studio gifted him to her.

Tiffany Haddish adopted a kitten from the set of "Keanu."

Tiffany Haddish adopted a kitten from the set of "Keanu."
"Keanu."      Warner Bros.

In the comedy film "Keanu," about the abduction of the beloved titular cat, there were actually seven kitties who switched off playing Keanu. While six of the seven cats continue to act, one of the film's stars, Haddish, adopted the remaining kitten. She named her Catonic.

Robert Redford purchased one of the horses from the set of "The Electric Horseman."

Robert Redford purchased one of the horses from the set of "The Electric Horseman."
"The Electric Horseman."      Universal Pictures

According to Horse Nation, Redford bought his equine co-star and kept him on his Utah ranch for 18 years. In the film, Redford's character, a retired rodeo champion, decides to steal a thoroughbred horse and ride him across the country to a canyon where he can be free.

"For me it was a chance to demonstrate my own particular affinity for horses, but the film is also about a way of life out West whose disappearance is sad but inevitable. Still, at the heart of the story is a man whose sensitivity is towards a horse," Redford said.

Yvette Nicole Brown adopted one of the dogs from the set of the live-action "Lady and the Tramp."

Yvette Nicole Brown adopted one of the dogs from the set of the live-action "Lady and the Tramp."
Brown and Harley on set of "Lady and the Tramp."      Instagram/@misterharleybrown

While Brown's character Aunt Sarah didn't particularly like dogs, in real life, she loves her pooch that she adopted from the set. All the animals used in "Lady and the Tramp" were either rescue animals or available to adopt, so of course, Brown decided to take one home.

"[The trainer] didn't just let people grab a dog. She watched you the entire run of the show and at the end she goes, 'I think I have your dog.' I said 'Oh! Who is it?' and she says, "Harley is your dog,'" Brown recalled to People. "She was 100% right. Harley is my dog. I love him. He's a maniac, but I love him."

Viggo Mortensen has adopted co-stars from "The Lord of the Rings" and "Hidalgo."

Viggo Mortensen has adopted co-stars from "The Lord of the Rings" and "Hidalgo."
"Hidalgo."      Buena Vista Pictures

The cast of "Lord of the Rings" commemorated their time together by taking props from the set and getting tattoos — but Mortensen took it a step further. He adopted two horses from the set of the movies, Eurayus and Kenny, he told IGN. "I just developed a real good friendship with [Eurayus]. He kind of came into the movie similar to the way I did. You know, didn't have much preparation and was just thrown in and had to swim, basically. And it was rough on him and it took a while for us to kind of get in sync and for him to be comfortable around the set. So we got to be close and I wanted to stay in touch with him," he said. As for Kenny? "I just wanted Eurayus to have a buddy."

Mortensen also adopted his co-star from the film "Hidalgo," named TJ, from the 2004 epic western film.

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