When people talk about man’s best friend, most of us don’t think of a dog that’s really a robot. Here’s a look at the making of the new movie “A-X-L.”
Alex Neustaedter (as Miles): “Wow. What the hell are you?”
Ooh, I know this one. That’s A-X-L — a robotic dog.
Computerized voice over: “Introducing A-X-L, the latest in military protection, featuring facial recognition, onboard weapons systems and onboard pairing capabilities.”
But A-X-L runs away from his creators and teams up with a young man, played by Alex Neustaedter. He and a young woman, played by pop star Becky G, promise to protect their new four-legged friend.
A-X-L: “Play.”
Alex Neustaedter (as Miles): “You wanna play? All right, let’s go.”
Alex’s character is a motocross rider, though it was stuntmen who did all the movie’s cool motocross moves.
Alex would’ve liked to have gotten in on the action, though.
Alex Neustaedter: “I didn’t have too much moto experience, and I don’t think the film really wanted to take any chances, so I wasn’t allowed to do it.”
Becky G: “He wanted to, very, very badly.”
Alex Neustaedter: “Yeah, I was very persistent, but they didn’t give me any leeway. But now I ride quite a bit, and I love it.”
The stars also came to love A-X-L himself — forgetting he was, you know, a robot, and not a real doggie.
Alex Neustaedter: “But it just became really real to us, and we all just huddled around and loved this dog, just like it was one of our own.”
Becky G: “You know, when you speak to dogs, and you kind of change your voice, and their heads kind of tilt, you know, and they’re trying to read you? Like, he would do that! It was, like, so amazing. It was very, very real.”
Marie-Françoise Theodore (as Captain Webber): “I need to know what it’s doing.”
Dominic Rains (as Andric): “It’s evolving way behind expectation.”
Dominic Rains (as Andric): “That’s my dog. I want it back.”
Alex Neustaedter (as Miles): “We’re in this together.”
“A-X-L” has rolled over into theaters.
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