Livestock supervisor Kenny Lee spent six months searching for the perfect horse to portray Rising Star, the steed of Robert Redford’s character Sonny Steele in the 1979 film “The Electric Horseman.” Eventually, a 5-year-old Thoroughbred named Let’s Merge was cast for the role. Redford took his commitment seriously, performing his own riding scenes and deciding to purchase Let’s Merge after filming ended.

During the filming of 1959’s “Green Mansions,” Audrey Hepburn became a surrogate mother to a weeks-old fawn named Pippin, affectionately called Ip by Hepburn. In a newspaper interview, Hepburn expressed her love for the fawn, saying, “I’ve fallen in love with her.” Ip was given free rein of their house and garden, where Hepburn fed her with a baby bottle. Despite not having teeth, Ip enjoyed nibbling on everything within reach. Hepburn’s then-husband, Mel Ferrer, who directed the film, also grew fond of Ip, although their Yorkshire terrier, Mr. Famous, was less enthused. Hepburn reluctantly parted ways with Ip after the film was completed. However, Ferrer later brought Ip back to help Hepburn cope with a miscarriage she suffered in May 1959.

Upon arriving at a dog pound to film a scene for 2017’s “Gifted,” Chris Evans, known for his love of dogs, immediately asked, “Are these actor dogs, or are these real, up-for-adoption dogs?” When he learned that they were all available for adoption, Evans took a walk and came across a particular dog who, as he told People, “didn’t belong there.” That lucky pup, named Dodger, soon became a part of Evans’s life. According to Evans, Dodger is a wonderful companion who adores children and shares his bed, lying on his pillow, resulting in face-to-face mornings.

In Disney’s 2019 live-action remake of “Lady and the Tramp,” filmmakers made a concerted effort to cast rescue dogs, with one of them finding a forever home with Yvette Nicole Brown, who portrayed Aunt Sarah. After filming concluded, the trainer identified the perfect dog for Brown to adopt. “At the end, she goes, ‘I think I have your dog.’ I said, ‘Oh! Who is it?’ And she says, ‘Harley is your dog,'” Brown recounted to People. “She was 100 percent right. Harley is my dog. I love him.” Harley, a cocker spaniel, even boasts his own Instagram account.

Viggo Mortensen formed deep connections with the two primary horses that portrayed Aragorn’s mounts in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy: Eurayus, the bay horse known as Brego, and Kenny, the chestnut horse that played Hasufel. He decided to bring them home after filming. Mortensen also acquired the white horse used by Arwen during the scene where she flees the Nazgûl in “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Explaining this purchase to NME in 2020, Mortensen said he was motivated by his friendship with the stuntwoman who rode the horse, knowing her attachment to it.

This wasn’t the only time Mortensen found a new companion on set. While filming 2004’s “Hidalgo,” he unexpectedly formed a strong bond with T.J., the horse he rode. Although he hadn’t planned to purchase T.J., Mortensen couldn’t bear to part with him. Speaking to IGN, Mortensen expressed admiration for T.J.’s distinct personality and consistent reactions, which ranged from jealousy and possessiveness to serving as a guiding conscience or simply displaying annoyance.

The famous singer-songwriter adopted the kitten featured in the “Me!” music video, naming her new cat Benjamin Button.

The titular catnapped feline in Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s 2016 film “Keanu” was portrayed by several kittens sourced from various animal shelters. After filming concluded, co-star Tiffany Haddish was fortunate enough to adopt one of them, renaming it from Clementine to Catonic. However, Catonic’s diminutive size didn’t last for long.

For the 1938 film “Under Western Stars,” Roy Rogers had the opportunity to select his equine co-star, choosing Golden Cloud, a palomino stallion recently featured in “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938). Rogers renamed him “Trigger” to reflect his swiftness, and their compatibility led Rogers to purchase him, featuring him in numerous other movies. Reflecting on their bond, Rogers reminisced, “He was 4 when I made my first picture and I was 26, so we kind of grew up together. He never did anything wrong.” Trigger passed away on Rogers’s California ranch in 1965, but his taxidermied remains are still preserved.

Similar to “Keanu,” the captivating feline in the 1958 film “Bell, Book and Candle” was played by multiple Siamese cats. When Kim Novak, who starred alongside Jimmy Stewart, decided to adopt one, she simply called the cat by its character name: Pyewacket. However, Pyewacket’s mischievous behavior didn’t just stay on screen. In 1960, he managed to escape from Novak’s New York City garden, prompting her to place an advertisement in The New York Times to help find him. During his adventure, Pyewacket ended up in the home of two female Siamese cats, where he bit their owner’s secretary and was then taken to a shelter. Fortunately, the secretary saw Novak’s ad and contacted her, leading to Pyewacket’s safe return. Novak humorously mentioned in a newspaper interview that although she intended to scold him, her happiness at having him back outweighed any scolding she had planned.

While filming “The Suicide Squad” in Panama, Dastmalchian encountered an endearing cat and decided to adopt her. He named her Bubblegum, affectionately shortening it from Abner Bubblegum Polka Dot Cat.

The actress adopted Lotus, the cat that played Carrie’s feline friend Shoe on “And Just Like That…”.

Stallone adopted two turtles named Cuff and Link from the set of “Rocky”, and they are now over 40 years old. They even made a cameo appearance in 2018’s “Creed II”.

In Game of Thrones, Sophie Turner’s affection for Sansa Stark’s direwolf extended beyond the screen. “Growing up, I always wanted a dog, but my parents never wanted one,” she shared with CoventryLive in 2013. “We kind of fell in love with my character’s direwolf, Lady, on set.” When Lady’s time on the show ended and Zunni, the Northern Inuit dog playing her, needed a permanent home, Turner’s family enthusiastically offered theirs.

In History Channel’s 2015 miniseries “Texas Rising,” Brendan Fraser developed a special bond with Pecas, a gray Percheron among the various horses featured. Despite facing teasing from the more flashy mustangs, Pecas became Fraser’s cherished acting companion. “He was my acting partner,” Fraser shared with the Toronto Star. “It wasn’t destined for any unfortunate fate, but I felt, ‘I want to do right by him, too.'” Consequently, he brought Pecas—aptly named “freckles” in Spanish—home to a barn in Bedford, New York, where the horse quickly formed a close bond with Fraser’s teenage son, Griffin.