Bev Klingensmith of Newton, Iowa, loves her dogs: 7-year-old Great Dane “Bing” and Golden Retriever “Nash.” She’s very involved in the dog world, showing, breeding, training and doing dog sports. She’s the President of the Great Dane Club of Des Moines, and is involved in the Des Moines Obedience Training Club, Central Iowa Kennel Club, and Great Dane Club of America. Now, she’s added “handler to a movie star dog” to her list of impressive accolades.
Over the years, her dogs have even been in commercials here and there. But when Klingensmith was contacted in 2019 about her Great Dane being in a movie, she initially deleted the email. “If you asked me before I became involved in it, I would’ve said it’s not a realistic thing at all.” Even when they finally did accept the offer, the movie almost didn’t happen.
Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s now reality: movie posters and billboards all across the nation feature Bing, alongside Naomi Watts and Bill Murray. Her dog is the star of a blockbuster movie titled “The Friend,” based on the 2018 book of the same name written by Sigrid Nunez.
Bleeker Street
Klingensmith did initially delete the producer’s email about having Bing, CH Flighty Foto White Christmas CD RA CA DCAT TKI CGC TT, in the movie. He was to play “Apollo,” a senior Harlequin Great Dane who is thrust into the care of protagonist “Iris” (Watts), after her friend, Apollo’s owner “Walter” (Murray) passes away. “I’m in Iowa, he was talking about New York and all of these things, but I reached back out and decided I would try to help them find the right dog for the project,” she said. The head trainer, Bill Barone, flew to Iowa in January 2020 to meet them, and instantly knew Bing was the dog for the project.
In the book, Apollo is a Harlequin Great Dane, specifically a senior dog. A Great Dane’s life expectancy is between 7–10 years, and when Iris gets Apollo, he is already over 6 years old. Since Apollo is one of the main characters in the movie, Bing would work almost every day throughout seven to eight weeks of filming. “His safety and wellbeing was always of paramount concern by everyone involved in the process, so that made it easier,” Klingensmith recalls.
Bleeker Street
They arrived in New York in January 2024, and started filming in early February. They spent the first three weeks or so working directly with Watts, getting them comfortable with each other. “They had to have a relationship, and she was wonderful and made it very enjoyable,” Klingensmith says. Watts’ own dog also became very close with Bing as they were filming.
Bing ended up being the perfect age for the part, but it wasn’t on purpose. Filming for the movie was delayed by both the pandemic and workers’ strikes in the film industry. By the time they got to filming in 2024, Bing was 6 years old, the perfect age to play the 5-year-old Harlequin that Nunez imagined in her book. Nunez came to a few days of filming, and met Bing again at various premieres for the film.
“They had thought about using a different color, but I was so happy when they managed to do that,” says Nunez, who didn’t want to be directly involved with filming. She noted that as she writes characters, she doesn’t visualize them, but did have a strong image of the dog as she was writing the novel.
In October and November 2023, Klingensmith worried that the movie might not really happen. Something that she already felt was a complete dream had been delayed multiple times, also due to scheduling conflicts. “It was always in the back of my mind,” she says. “It was very highly anticipated in our lives for the whole four years.”
But Klingensmith was happy to be in limbo, especially now knowing how much the end result paid off.
Though they’re used to traveling for dog sports, Klingensmith says this was a one-of-a-kind experience. Suddenly, Klingensmith and her 150-pound dog were on their way to New York to film, surrounded daily by camera equipment, people, and noise. Surprisingly, Bing was right at home. “It went really well — most of those behaviors were already trained,” Klingensmith says. “A lot of it was general obedience and a really solid temperament.”
Bleeker Street
Solid in his training, Bing got to put a lot of his obedience training in to practice: solid sits, stands, and stays. She had to teach him how to scratch the door for the movie, something she says she doesn’t condone in her own house. But other commands, like one she calls “pancake,” came in handy to portray Apollo’s emotions in the movie. “He’ll put his head down and just rest it on any surface, and he’ll hold it there,” says Klingensmith. “It translates to a lot of emotions, and you can feel that he’s sad and whatnot.”
Bing, who has accolades including a Championship title, is no stranger to being the center of attention. Still, it’s impressive that he was able to maintain the level of calm that he did throughout filming. Klingensmith says Bing knew he was working, similarly to how he knows he’s working when he’s in the conformation ring.
“He does a fantastic job ignoring distractions, and I feel fortunate with that,” she says. “He’s very easy to work with, and was pretty happy to do whatever we needed to do.” She emphasizes that his temperament is truly what allowed him to shine throughout the long days of filming and needing to always be “on” in a new environment.
“I’m excited that the world gets to see this,” Klingensmith says. “A well-bred dog, understanding temperament and genetics, and early socialization and training.” She also teaches puppy classes, along with being an AKC Canine Good Citizen and AKC Temperament Test evaluator. “I always champion to try to make your dog as adaptable as possible,” she says. “And I think it paid off — in a million ways.”
Even though the movie premiered at multiple festivals and will be released in the United States on March 28, Klingensmith says it still doesn’t feel real. “They basically plucked us out of obscurity and brought us to New York,” she says. Though Klingensmith already worked alongside Bing in dog sports, she says this experience has brought them even closer. “I really enjoyed it, he literally went to work with me every single day. He really loved the work and really seemed to enjoy the challenge of figuring out what we wanted to do,” she says. “We would do multiple takes, and he would just nail it each time.”
Nunez was able to see him in action a few times, as well as on the big screen at various film festivals. “There’s a kind of patience and dignity that Bing has that is just so endearing,” she says. “You wish you knew what he was thinking.”
Bev Klingensmith
At one festival premiere, Nunez remembers Bing running into actress Angelina Jolie, and everyone stopping to take pictures with them. “He equalized everyone in a strange way,” says Nunez. “He brought people together, and treated everyone the same. Dogs have that effect on people, no matter what their status is.”
Klingensmith and Bing are still going to different movie premieres across the country as “The Friend” is being released. Now, after gracing the silver screen, Bing is continuing his dog sport career. Next up, he’ll be working with Klingensmith towards his AKC Rally excellent title. But the memories that they made together in this once-in-a-lifetime experience will stick with them forever.
“It’s been a whirlwind. I feel very fortunate to have had the right dog at the right time,” Klingensmith says. “He really was right for the role, and I feel fortunate to be on the end of his leash.”
The post From Champion Show Dog to Movie Actor: Great Dane ‘Bing’ Stars in ‘The Friend’ appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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Over the years, her dogs have even been in commercials here and there. But when Klingensmith was contacted in 2019 about her Great Dane being in a movie, she initially deleted the email. “If you asked me before I became involved in it, I would’ve said it’s not a realistic thing at all.” Even when they finally did accept the offer, the movie almost didn’t happen.
Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s now reality: movie posters and billboards all across the nation feature Bing, alongside Naomi Watts and Bill Murray. Her dog is the star of a blockbuster movie titled “The Friend,” based on the 2018 book of the same name written by Sigrid Nunez.
Bleeker Street
Almost Too Good to be True
Klingensmith did initially delete the producer’s email about having Bing, CH Flighty Foto White Christmas CD RA CA DCAT TKI CGC TT, in the movie. He was to play “Apollo,” a senior Harlequin Great Dane who is thrust into the care of protagonist “Iris” (Watts), after her friend, Apollo’s owner “Walter” (Murray) passes away. “I’m in Iowa, he was talking about New York and all of these things, but I reached back out and decided I would try to help them find the right dog for the project,” she said. The head trainer, Bill Barone, flew to Iowa in January 2020 to meet them, and instantly knew Bing was the dog for the project.
In the book, Apollo is a Harlequin Great Dane, specifically a senior dog. A Great Dane’s life expectancy is between 7–10 years, and when Iris gets Apollo, he is already over 6 years old. Since Apollo is one of the main characters in the movie, Bing would work almost every day throughout seven to eight weeks of filming. “His safety and wellbeing was always of paramount concern by everyone involved in the process, so that made it easier,” Klingensmith recalls.
Bleeker Street
They arrived in New York in January 2024, and started filming in early February. They spent the first three weeks or so working directly with Watts, getting them comfortable with each other. “They had to have a relationship, and she was wonderful and made it very enjoyable,” Klingensmith says. Watts’ own dog also became very close with Bing as they were filming.
Aging Into the Part
Bing ended up being the perfect age for the part, but it wasn’t on purpose. Filming for the movie was delayed by both the pandemic and workers’ strikes in the film industry. By the time they got to filming in 2024, Bing was 6 years old, the perfect age to play the 5-year-old Harlequin that Nunez imagined in her book. Nunez came to a few days of filming, and met Bing again at various premieres for the film.
“They had thought about using a different color, but I was so happy when they managed to do that,” says Nunez, who didn’t want to be directly involved with filming. She noted that as she writes characters, she doesn’t visualize them, but did have a strong image of the dog as she was writing the novel.
In October and November 2023, Klingensmith worried that the movie might not really happen. Something that she already felt was a complete dream had been delayed multiple times, also due to scheduling conflicts. “It was always in the back of my mind,” she says. “It was very highly anticipated in our lives for the whole four years.”
But Klingensmith was happy to be in limbo, especially now knowing how much the end result paid off.
From Dog Sports Champ to Silver Screen Actor
Though they’re used to traveling for dog sports, Klingensmith says this was a one-of-a-kind experience. Suddenly, Klingensmith and her 150-pound dog were on their way to New York to film, surrounded daily by camera equipment, people, and noise. Surprisingly, Bing was right at home. “It went really well — most of those behaviors were already trained,” Klingensmith says. “A lot of it was general obedience and a really solid temperament.”
Bleeker Street
Solid in his training, Bing got to put a lot of his obedience training in to practice: solid sits, stands, and stays. She had to teach him how to scratch the door for the movie, something she says she doesn’t condone in her own house. But other commands, like one she calls “pancake,” came in handy to portray Apollo’s emotions in the movie. “He’ll put his head down and just rest it on any surface, and he’ll hold it there,” says Klingensmith. “It translates to a lot of emotions, and you can feel that he’s sad and whatnot.”
Bing, who has accolades including a Championship title, is no stranger to being the center of attention. Still, it’s impressive that he was able to maintain the level of calm that he did throughout filming. Klingensmith says Bing knew he was working, similarly to how he knows he’s working when he’s in the conformation ring.
“He does a fantastic job ignoring distractions, and I feel fortunate with that,” she says. “He’s very easy to work with, and was pretty happy to do whatever we needed to do.” She emphasizes that his temperament is truly what allowed him to shine throughout the long days of filming and needing to always be “on” in a new environment.
“I’m excited that the world gets to see this,” Klingensmith says. “A well-bred dog, understanding temperament and genetics, and early socialization and training.” She also teaches puppy classes, along with being an AKC Canine Good Citizen and AKC Temperament Test evaluator. “I always champion to try to make your dog as adaptable as possible,” she says. “And I think it paid off — in a million ways.”
Working Dog in Front of the Camera
Even though the movie premiered at multiple festivals and will be released in the United States on March 28, Klingensmith says it still doesn’t feel real. “They basically plucked us out of obscurity and brought us to New York,” she says. Though Klingensmith already worked alongside Bing in dog sports, she says this experience has brought them even closer. “I really enjoyed it, he literally went to work with me every single day. He really loved the work and really seemed to enjoy the challenge of figuring out what we wanted to do,” she says. “We would do multiple takes, and he would just nail it each time.”
Nunez was able to see him in action a few times, as well as on the big screen at various film festivals. “There’s a kind of patience and dignity that Bing has that is just so endearing,” she says. “You wish you knew what he was thinking.”
Bev Klingensmith
At one festival premiere, Nunez remembers Bing running into actress Angelina Jolie, and everyone stopping to take pictures with them. “He equalized everyone in a strange way,” says Nunez. “He brought people together, and treated everyone the same. Dogs have that effect on people, no matter what their status is.”
Klingensmith and Bing are still going to different movie premieres across the country as “The Friend” is being released. Now, after gracing the silver screen, Bing is continuing his dog sport career. Next up, he’ll be working with Klingensmith towards his AKC Rally excellent title. But the memories that they made together in this once-in-a-lifetime experience will stick with them forever.
“It’s been a whirlwind. I feel very fortunate to have had the right dog at the right time,” Klingensmith says. “He really was right for the role, and I feel fortunate to be on the end of his leash.”
The post From Champion Show Dog to Movie Actor: Great Dane ‘Bing’ Stars in ‘The Friend’ appeared first on American Kennel Club.
Read more...
