The Disney+ original series Turner & Hooch follows Scott Turner (Josh Peck), the son of the Detective Turner (Tom Hanks) from the 1989 film of the same name, an ambitious U.S. Marshal who’s trying to stand out and make a name for himself. When he finds himself unexpectedly partnered up with a big, slobbery dog named Hooch (who’s actually played by five French Mastiffs) and he and his sister (Lyndsy Fonseca) realize there may be more to the mystery of their dad’s last case than they knew, Scott must be patient with his new pet, if he’s ever going to find out what really happened.
During this virtual 1-on-1 interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Peck talked about what excited him about this TV series, working with so much dog drool, his hope that Tom Hanks would be proud of what they’re doing, telling a story where there’s something for everyone, his love of physical comedy, and the wealth of possibility he sees in the show’s potential future.
Collider: Was there a conversation in the beginning about whether this would involve hazard pay because of all the dog drool? Was there any initial conversation about just what you were getting yourself into?
JOSH PECK: Oh, my gosh, these French Mastiffs might have the most talented salivary glands of any dog breed. I’m not sure the drool load comes close with any other dog. There were just moments where I’d have a 150 pound dog on my chest, cutting off circulation to my diaphragm while also drooling on me. If I wasn’t a dog person before, I surely am by now. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this at all yet, but when we would need them to lick my face, they’d have to first put on a layer of chicken baby food, and then the dog would lick my face. It was double disgusting. If the dog licking didn’t make you wanna gag, the baby food did.
So, you just had to embrace the gross with this show.
PECK: Totally. And eventually, you just give over to it and you’re like, “Just have me. I’m just a gigantic toy for you.”
After doing this, have you learned any tricks for making a dog drool less, or is that just not possible?
PECK: Yes, if you want them to drool less, don’t feed them too many treats. Obviously, our dogs react for treats, much like myself, and after each take, if they were getting a little bit of meat or cheese, the waterfall would begin. I was like, “All right, let’s do a treat every other take, just so that we don’t need to bring in a whole mop team after this.”
With the opportunity to lead the show came your way, what was your reaction to that? Had you been familiar with the movie? Were you immediately curious about this?
PECK: It’s a great question. It’s funny, with Turner & Hooch, there are some people I know who haven’t seen the movie, but there’s no one who’s never heard of it. It has incredible name recognition. I had seen bits and pieces, but I didn’t watch the whole thing until I knew I was auditioning for the movie. And so, I felt really excited at this idea that it was a continuation. It was paying homage to the original, but it wasn’t a remake, which I think is just dangerous territory because you don’t wanna mess with people’s memories. They’re very sensitive. So, I just loved the idea of jumping back into family fare, which is where I paid my dues and where I come from, in this new elevated way that was a challenge for me, and not just the typical broad comedy stuff that I do.
What was it like to step in and take over from Tom Hanks?
PECK: Oh, my gosh, someone like Tom Hanks is always in your mind because he’s just one of the greatest actors of a generation. He did this at such an interesting time in his career because he had just finished Big, but he hadn’t done Forrest Gump yet. He was right at the precipice of the apex of his power and ability. We were just all banding together to do something that hopefully would make him proud. I don’t know if Disney’s been sending him early episodes, but Mr. Hanks, if you wanna see some of it, I have a couple episodes I could email to you. I’d love to share them with you. And yes, we can have coffee anytime. I’ll come to you.
It’s such a fun show that I can’t imagine he wouldn’t enjoy it in some way.
PECK: I hope so. I hope he likes it. We just tried to honor him and the memory of the original.
You’ve led and played the title character of a show before. How different does it feel doing that, at this point in your life?
PECK: Well, I think what’s exciting is helping to launch what’s a bit of a new streaming service in Disney+ and being part of something that is really building, and it’s building at a wild pace. My wife and I just watched the first episode of the new Mighty Ducks series and fell in love with it, and my friend John Stamos is starring in Big Shot. I think the shows that are already on Disney+ are so good, so it’s exciting to be starting something new. And also, I love doing family fare, but for the most part, we’ve always seen things that either really appealed to kids and parents would grudgingly watch. It’s rare to have something where each demographic can completely find something to love about the show, be it the action-adventure stuff with the U.S. Marshals, the rom-com, or that cute dog stuff. I truly believe there’s something for everyone. McG directed our pilot, so it looks really good too, which I think is important.
One of the things that I find really impressive about the family fare that Disney+ is making with these new shows is that it recreates that feeling that a lot of the movies or shows from the time period of the original movie had. They’re sweet and fun, and they put a smile on your face, and they feel like a warm hug when you’re watching them, and it’s tricky to do without feeling too sappy or sentimental.
PECK: It’s a great point. I think that’s a really good assessment. You’re right. It’s just high-end family material that I’m not sure has been done in a really long time. I think it was really smart of Disney+ to realize that there are so many streamers out there and was like, “What can we do that’s great? What can we do that’s specific to us, that’s maybe an untapped market?” And I think they’re really succeeding in that way.
When you do something like this, where the relationship with the dog is so important, at what point did you meet and start working with the dogs? What was it like to develop a relationship with five of them?
PECK: Even in the audition, which was when I knew I was working with really smart collaborators, they told me, “You’re gonna be auditioning with a dog.” It wasn’t actually a French Mastiff. It was a Great Dane. I think it was the only giant dog that was available that day. They were like, “You’re gonna be working with the dog, so be ready to improvise because obviously we know the dogs will do what they want and it’s incumbent on us to adjust.” That immediately made me feel like people like the creator, Matt Nix, just get it. I’ve worked with animals before and I’ve worked with certain people that have been like, “Wait, the dog’s not gonna bark right at the moment we need it to and stay on its mark perfectly?” Well, no, it’s an animal. You’ll get close to that, and then you adjust. And then, I flew to Vancouver, quarantined for two weeks, and then we had two weeks of prep before starting. The doc trainers were like, “Hi, you’re gonna be our new best friend now.” A lot it was just hanging out with the dogs because they have to trust you and feel comfortable. We had to let them know that I am literally a Pez dispenser when it comes to treats. Every time they’re around me, they’re just gonna be rewarded and it’s gonna be a love fest. And then, we would start practicing certain tricks, whether it was getting one of the dogs to stick its head through my arm, or jump up on me, or do certain specialty things.
You have action and physical work on the stunt side of things, but you also have a lot of physical comedy in this. What’s it like to find each of those things? Are they very different from each other? Do you find them both fun to do?
PECK: Oh, I love it. I just love the physical comedy that I grew up with, especially in the ‘90s when you watch the masters of it – people like Chris Farley and Jim Carrey and Robin Williams – who are the geniuses of that take of work. And then, I remember my acting teacher always told me, and we worked on the audition for this, “Play the reality of it, and the ridiculousness of the stakes and you being pulled by this dog will make people laugh. But if you’re schtick-ing it up and making it broad, it breaks the fourth wall. If you’re really committed to how much you’re trying to control this 150-pound dog who has no interest in control, then the comedy will be born from that.” And I think that’s true. So, I love it. And then, with the action adventure stuff, playing a U.S. Marshal, I did ride-alongs with real U.S. Marshals and spent a lot of time with them. I did weapons training with Taran Tactical, who did the John Wick movies. I was able to learn that stuff, so I didn’t feel like a phony when it came to feeling like I could save someone.
Is it fun to add the humor to it too, so that you’re not just doing this dark cop drama?
PECK: I think that’s a great point. My friend, who I made a movie with, this great actor named James Ransone once said, “I’m the kind of actor that can punch a guy in the face, but [I’m gonna make a sound] after,” and that’s me. I can do the cool action guy thing to a point, but usually I need that pressure valve release of the funny moment. If I’m adding that level to it, I feel like I belong in that world. You’re right, in a typical cop procedural, playing the stoic, gruff officer, I’m not sure that would be my strength.
Have you already had conversations and thought about what you would want to do in another season? Do you have your own wishlist of what Season 2 could be?
PECK: Oh, my gosh. Just knowing that there’s so much to this show and there are so many relationships, like my sister played by Lyndsy Fonseca and the character of Erica (Vanessa Lengies). They’re both in the animal world and they could team up and start working together. My sister, played by Lyndsy, her name is Laura Turner, so there could be certain episodes where Laura Turner and Hooch are solving things and maybe I’m doing more of the recon work behind the scenes, and by that I mean not getting licked by the dog in every scene. It just seems like with our cast and the possibilities here, I can’t see these episodes getting stale, anytime soon. I think there’s a wealth of possibility.
It must be so fun to have Reginald VelJohnson come onto set as that bridge from the original movie, but also just because who doesn’t love some of the characters that he’s played before?
PECK: You’re so right. Having Reginald on set, he played Tom Hanks’ a partner in the original, but he also is from Die Hard and Family Matters. I’m such a Reginald VelJohnson stan that I’m sure at times he was like, “Why is the lead of this show bothering me so much?” But I just wanted to know, “When Jaleel White took off his glasses and became Stefan, was that cool?” He’s a real actor’s actor. He went to Tisch. He went to NYU. He’s just a great energy to be around.
He’s just played such lovable characters that it’s hard not to love him.
PECK: And a guy like that, who’s in his late 60s, early 70s, could easily just be hanging out and enjoying life, but he just wants to keep working. I hope I’m the same way with that.
Turner & Hooch is available to stream at Disney+.