Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church is the human star of "Max." The movie tells the story of a dog whose handler was killed while they were deployed in Afghanistan. Max was to be euthanized due to post-traumatic stress, but the fallen Marine's family adopts him instead.
Max saves the day more than once.
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"They're all about the training and the mission and going and finding the enemy and the enemy weapons," Church said.
The plot is not based on a real story, but inspired by hero dogs. Six animals were cast to play the title role, but one named "Carlos" took the lead.
"He was a bit more easy going. He was a bit more robust and there was a vulnerability to him. He was the mainstay," Church said.
Church has a soft spot for Chicago because he did a series from '95 to '97 called "Ned & Stacy."
"It was a great experience," Church said. "This is a true story, I partied with Chris Farley here once."