\n<\/p>\n
The trainer, Jo Vaughan, had about 12 weeks to prep the cats. A significant portion was spent familiarizing them with being carried and walking on leashes. \u201cIf there\u2019s two things cats don\u2019t like,\u201d Vaughan said, \u201cone is being on a harness and lead, and two is being carried.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cats weren\u2019t the only ones who had to adapt to something they didn\u2019t like: When filming began, Nyong\u2019o, who won an Oscar in 2014 for her role in \u201c12 Years a Slave,\u201d was afraid of the creatures<\/a>. Sarnoski said she spent about an hour before shooting each day doing \u201ccat time\u201d to get to know Schnitzel and Nico.<\/p>\n Still, no matter their training, which also consisted of practicing water scenes in a pool designed for dogs, the cats decided what they were, and were not, willing to do. While shooting a scene set in a flooded subway station in a water tank, Sarnoski said, one of the cats bailed from its makeshift raft. \u201cJoe Quinn, I think, was the one that swam to the cat and was like, \u2018We\u2019ll get you out,\u2019\u201d he said. Another challenge was capturing a cat when the camera was in motion. \u201cIf you\u2019re on a Steadicam following the cat,\u201d Sarnoski said, \u201cthe cat\u2019s always going to be like, \u2018What is that thing behind me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Frodo remains catlike throughout the film, occasionally becoming distracted and wandering off. But he comes to represent the human characters\u2019 desire to protect one another. As a service cat, he offers Sam solace \u2014 and provides it for the audience as well. It\u2019s easy to see why Nyong\u2019o ultimately became a cat person, cuddling her furry co-stars.<\/p>\n Once filming wrapped, and Nyong\u2019o had to part with Schnitzel and Nico, she adopted a cat, who is orange and named Yoyo. \u201cEveryone should have a cat,\u201d Sarnoski said. He ended up getting one, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n