Quincy the Dog at the Anchorman 2 Premiere on Dec. 15, 2013 | Paula Schwartz Photo
There’s a major new Hollywood action star, and his name is Quincy, a two year-old terrier mix who co-stars with Will Ferrell in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” Quincy plays Ron Burgundy’s dog, Baxter.
Ferrell reprises his role as the dimwitted San Diego newscaster who moves to New York City to work for the first 24-hour news channel. His former news crew pals — Steve Carell, David Koechner and Paul Rudd — reteam and head East to help him with the launch.
The red carpet of the “A2” premiere Sunday night at the Beacon Theater was crammed with A-listers, including the film’s four leading stars, along with James Marsden, Meagan Good, Judah Nelson, Fred Willard, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Christina Applegate.
Also on the carpet, I spoke to producer Judd Apatow, and director Adam McKay. I also spotted Edward Norton, Haley Joel Osment, Lewis Black, Nasim Pedrad, Harry Smith and Hoda Kotb.
The film’s star – Quincy and not Ferrell – strutted, barked and pranced on the red carpet. The 28-pound megastar has a rags-to-riches story to go with his charisma. Quincy’s trainer told me the pooch was found wandering around the parking lot of a grocery store and sent to a shelter where he was discovered by Birds and Animals Unlimited, a Los Angeles agency that casts animals for the entertainment and advertisement industries.
Quincy the Dog at the Anchorman 2 Premiere on Dec. 15, 2013 | Paula Schwartz Photo
I asked Quincy’s trainer how they knew the pooch had star potential. “We went by his looks to start with, and his attitude and he had a lot of energy, which is what you look for.”
Photos from the “Anchorman 2″ premiere on Dec. 15, 2013. Click the photos for larger views and sharing options.
In “A2,” Quincy has some challenging action scenes, including a crash in Ron Burgundy’s RV, where the pooch is thrown against walls and flips through the air. Like any other action actor, Quincy does a lot of this stuff against a green screen. He always nailed his scenes in three takes max, his trainer told me.
Spoiler Alert: In the most crucial and dangerous scene, Baxter jumps in the ocean and saves Ron Burgundy from a shark.
The sandy-haired doggy always has a benevolent and wise expression on his mug. When Baxter’s hanging with Ron and his clueless news crew pals – which is often in the film – the pooch definitely looks like the smartest one in the room.
No one worked the red carpet harder or with more patience than Quincy. He posed endlessly for photographers, and let everyone pet him. His trainer did give him lots of treats to get him to look in the right direction for pictures, but the doggy seemed to have boundless amounts of energy.
After the celebrity wattage went into the theater for the movie, Quincy – who was not allowed inside, even if he is one of the stars – stayed on the red carpet to pose for more photographs and to let his fans stroke his hair.
Earlier on the red carpet, Ferrell told me he had a trailer with a full kitchen where he could cook and relax.
So I asked Quincy’s trainer what the pooch’s trailer was like.
“What’s Quincy’s trailer like? It’s my hotel room,” he laughed.
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