Meet the Humans in A DOG’S WAY HOME

Love dogs? Love weeping a few happy/sad tears? A DOG’S WAY HOME is tailor-made for anyone who answers yes to at least one of those questions. The January 11 release is almost cruel as it lets us see an owner bond with his dog — and then we’ve got to watch as the good girl is separated from him.

As the title suggests, the dog, Bella, won’t be away from home forever. En route to a reunion with her owner, she encounters some good people (and probably some bad ones) and, judging from the trailer, at least one mountain lion. We can’t tell you much about the big cat right now, but here’s everything you need to know about the humans in A DOG’S WAY HOME.

Bryce Dallas Howard

We’ve seen Bryce Dallas Howard on the big screen for years, but this time we’ll only hear her, as she voices Bella. The young Howard made uncredited appearances in her father Ron Howard’s films, going back to PARENTHOOD in 1989. Her first big starring role was in M. Night Shyamalan’s THE VILLAGE, which she followed by starring in Lars von Trier’s MANDERLAY. After that, Howard was officially a star. Lately, she’s been in the two JURASSIC WORLD movies and the great PETE’S DRAGON remake.

Perhaps the most exciting new development in Bryce Dallas Howard’s career is the opportunity to direct. She’s made short films and television in the past, but next year (hopefully) we’ll see her episode of the Star Wars television series “The Mandalorion.”

Jonah Hauer-King

This London actor has plenty of stage experience, but is a relatively new face on the big screen. His first big feature role came in 2017, in THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH, directed by Danny Huston. Hauer-King’s profile is set to rise quickly, however. In addition to A DOG’S WAY HOME, the actor has the coming-of-age story ONCE UPON A TIME IN STATEN ISLAND coming in 2019 — that’s the new movie from James DeMonaco, who wrote and directed the first three PURGE movies.

Alexandra Shipp

This young actress has one of the most accomplished resumes of anyone her age. She’s got big-budget movie experience thanks to her role as Storm in the current wave of X-MEN movies. She did dozens of episodes of the Nickelodeon TV series “House of Anubis” and a run on the long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”

Shipp starred in the slasher movie update TRAGEDY GIRLS and appeared in LOVE, SIMON. In addition to the upcoming DARK PHOENIX, she’ll be in SHAFT, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Regina Hall, and the indie drama ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES.

Ashley Judd

While Ashley Judd was initially known for her relationship to country singers Naomi Judd (her mother) and Wynonna Judd (her sister), it didn’t take long to prove her impressive acting chops. Early TV and movie roles in the ’90s lead to Michael Mann’s HEAT, which paired her with the criminal played by Val Kilmer.

Judd has been a mainstay in dramas and thrillers for 20 years and has ventured into television on series like “Twin Peaks,” “Missing” and “Berlin Station,” in addition to doing big films like the DIVERGENT series and stranger stuff like William Friedkin’s freaky BUG.

Edward James Olmos

This Oscar®-nominated, Los Angeles-born actor is a voice of authority and compassion best known for ‘80s roles in BLADE RUNNER and STAND AND DELIVER and for his commanding performance as Admiral William Adama on “Battlestar Galactica” from 2004 to 2009.

Olmos has spent a lot of time on television since that “Battlestar” run, with parts on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (above), “Dexter,” “Narcos” and “Mayans M.C.,” but A DOG’S WAY HOME marks the first of several 2019 movies that will showcase his talent on the big screen. The most notable of these might be THE DEVIL HAS A NAME, his latest directorial effort, about “a psychotic oil matriarch [who] leaves the whole industry exposed when she attempts to outfight a bullish farmer.”

A DOG’S WAY HOME opens on January 11.